Seaside Sibling Train
by Writer-and-Artist27
Summary: In an alternate universe where a civilian pianist has a ninja swordsman best friend, one day, she gets dropped into a world filled with Marines and pirates. It's a huge change from the blue ninja headbands. It gets better when the pianist finds herself falling onto piles of paperwork belonging to one Unlucky Marine. Massive OC crossover. (A Sea and Stars AU story)
1. Chapter 1: Helping a Drunk Marine

_Edit (Jan 12, 2019)_ : For those of you who are wondering what this story is, well, it started as a whim. A massive OC crossover for one friend who does amazing art, and I wanted to make them happy. And so, this story was born. The chapters are a bit out of order, because of writing on a whim. There's lots of characters, and I get if it's off-putting. I guess I wanted to say that it's okay. This story was written for pure fun. Pure fluff, pure fun, pure interaction. I hope you don't mind.

Original Characters included are Tomoko herself (from _The Sea and Stars_ universe); Davy Jack/Jackie, a genderfluid One Piece marine OC operated by the amazing Eli on Tumblr; Lieutenant Wendy, another One Piece OC operated on Tumblr by another friend that I wish I had more chances to talk with; Abalisk's Leith and Kaiza, One Piece and Bleach OCs from her shared universe; and the famous Kei herself from Lang Noi's works, just from _The Sea and Stars_ to match with Tomoko.

Nonetheless, I've spoken enough. Please enjoy this story for the silliness that it is.

* * *

 _Note_ : To unlucky-marine, yet again. Happy Birthday, Eli~

Here is another little offering from the writer who loves Davy and your artwork. As thanks for loving Tomoko as much as you do.

Also, throw-out to ask-lieutenant-wendy, because your character is beautiful and even if I don't know her that well, Davy does, and they both deserve lots of appreciation~!

The song for this is Clannad's famous _Dango Daikazoku_. The original song and/or Kyle Landry's piano version work really well for this. :)

 _*curtsies softly before creeping away*_ That's all I have to say. Please enjoy~! ;D

* * *

"…Wendy-san?"

"Yes, Tomoko-chan?"

I glanced up at the older woman with the nicest frown I could muster, in spite of the questions tugging at every part of my heart and mind. Because I was short in spite of my drinking all the milk in the world. "Why is Davy-san…"

"What the fuck is a circle…" went the named Marine while staring at a blank sheet of paper. He apparently didn't notice us with the paper in front of his face.

Wendy gave me a sheepish smile while brushing through some of her blond ponytail. "Drunk?"

"Drunk," I repeated for emphasis, tugging at the hem of my Sylveon-themed kimono dress skirt all the while. "I thought he would be _stressed_ , not drunk…"

Wendy only laughed softly before reaching over to rest a hand on the top of my head, rustling my white hair ribbon with the gesture. "Paperwork is a bit—I mean, a pain in the butt!" I didn't miss how she immediately backtracked from what was clearly forming a curse word, ruffling my hair all the while. "And no one in the Marines likes doing it, so unfortunately…" she trailed off.

"Circles should be squares! They're easier to draw!" Davy-san shouted in-between hiccups. "Less stress for all—!" He then face-planted into his desk with a loud slam.

Oh no.

 **Oh dear,** Hisako said for me mentally. **Tomoko-chan, do you have any idea of what to do?**

 _Hisako, Vy's dad_ never _got the chance to be drunk because of an alcohol allergy. I don't know!_

 **Well, we have to do** _ **something**_ **!**

 _I know that! Any ideas?!_

My Nobody racked her head against the nearest mental armchair in the library before raising an energetic hand. **MUFFINS!**

… _Muffins?_

 **Blueberry muffins. I think Wendy said those are his favorite, right?!** Hisako was jumping up and down now, hands flailing all the while as she was grinning like the doofus she was. **So go ahead and do that, Tomoko-chan! No one can resist blueberry muffins coming from an** _ **adorable**_ **ten-year-old girl!**

 _Hisakoooo, I-I'm not_ adorable…

Too late. Hisako was already on a roll as she ran around the library, happily cooing and squealing praise I couldn't make out.

Outwardly, I looked up at Wendy while trying not to panic. Blushing was not going to help me at all. And Davy-san was still drunk. "W-Wendy-san?"

"Hm?" The older Marine got down to sit on her knees, looking at me from eye-level now as she smiled. "What is it?"

"Do you have a kitchen? Eggs, sugar, and blueberries?"

The blond woman only blinked at me.

* * *

Baking the blueberry muffins were simple enough. Thankfully, no one in the entirety of the Marine kitchen crew seemed to ask _why_ a ten-year-old girl was working in the kitchen, in a white-pink-blue _kimono dress_ too. They essentially steered clear of…well, basically every pathway I needed to get ingredients, strangely enough.

I had a feeling Wendy-san was the person to thank for that.

Still, as expected of a traveling sea crew. They had everything a cook and baker could ask for, from all-purpose flour to things like the regular milk and substitutes like almond milk. For safety reasons, I decided to go with almond milk when stirring it into the batter.

The muffins came out almost too perfect. Smelling sweet, blueberries almost melting, and tops bouncing back from a simple poke.

I couldn't help but feel nervous when a blue gift box and magenta ribbon magically showed up when I was looking away a few minutes later, just after the muffins cooled from being in the muffin tin.

 _Hisako?_

My Nobody was cleaning the Oblivion Keyblade when I called for her. Nonetheless, she dropped it to look up at me. **What is it, dear?**

I outwardly put down baking paper to line the box, setting down muffins in an attempt to calm myself. _I can do this, right?_

 **Of course you can, Tomoko-chan.** Hisako's voice turned soft. **Davy's still Davy. He's still a massive dork who gets way too much work on his hands, and he's never rejected you. You're okay.**

I took a breath as soon as the lid went down to cover the muffins and I tied it down with the magenta ribbon. The bow was nice but finding a nearby star sequin to seal the deal helped. _Okay. Okay._

I nodded to myself, slapped my cheeks, and took the box in my hands to walk down the hallways leading back to Davy-san's office.

 _I can do this, I can do this_.

When I opened the door, Wendy-san was at his immediate right side, organizing some of the loose papers that had scattered from…well, the _gigantic_ piles of paperwork flanking Davy-san's head. If anything, the scene paralleled some of the worst moments I saw on the Hokage's side back in Konoha, where canon Tsunade kept complaining to Shizune about the workload. Don't get me started on how _Boruto_ showed Naruto as a workaholic who couldn't even spend time with his _family_.

There was no way I could let Davy-san become like that.

Wendy-san still noticed me as soon as I walked close, smiling happily at the box in my hands before nudging the apparently slumbering Davy with a hand. Not a good sign. Weren't drunks _not_ supposed to sleep the alcohol off? "Davy, Davy, Tomoko-chan's here for you."

"Buuuuh?" he slurred, slowly raising his head from his desk, and I tried not to flinch at the massive bedhead and redness covering his person. He was definitely bowled over. "Tomo—?"

I tried to push the embarrassment down as much as I could, even with the familiar heat of nervousness and anxiety flooding my face. My hair ribbon was on the other side of my head, being the left instead of the right, and I wanted to fiddle with it _so much_ if not for the task at hand.

 **Tomoko-chan,** _ **breathe**_ **. You're okay, you can do this.**

 _I-It's okay, it's_ okay.

As Hisako instructed, I inhaled as much air as I could. Even with how red I was getting, I still extended my arms to offer the box in his direction. If not for me standing a few inches away from his desk, I might as well have shoved them in his face. "Muffins f-for Davy-san! They're blueberry, and, and, I know that you're busy and all, but I thought these would help, so—"

Dear gosh, I was rambling. I was doomed.

Davy-san only stared at me blankly.

Wendy-san's proud stare in my direction helped a bit. At least.

I inhaled again, opening my eyes slowly to look at him with the best smile I could muster right now. Probably shy-looking and nervous as all freaking _hell_. "I know you work a lot, so I thought you'd like these…" I raised the box again, trying not to jostle the sweets inside. "I baked them myself?"

I was not expecting Davy-san to disappear in a matter of seconds and reappear right behind me, hugging me from behind. "I would literally _kill_ for you."

 **What.**

"Eh?" I blinked. Something wet was starting to drip into the back of my hair, and the grip on my shoulders was pretty strong as the scent of cologne mixed with something definitely related to alcohol graced my nose. Wendy-san was starting to laugh into her hands, and the muffin box was limp in my own.

 **He didn't even** _ **take**_ **the box.**

I was more worried about the declaration that was just said. Without thinking, I detached one of my hands from the muffin box to instead reach over and pat one of the arms still holding onto me. "Davy-san?"

The Marine was silent.

Dork. I smiled while leaning back against him, still holding onto the box while reciprocating the sudden hug via patting his arm. "You don't have to _kill_ for me, okay? All that would make me happy right now is to see _you_ happy. Relaxed, free of work, and able to enjoy a blueberry muffin. That's all I want."

 _I have enough people willing to kill for me already._

That was left unsaid, though.

Davy-san was quiet for a few more moments, but his grip on my shoulders tightened as a nose brushed the side of my head. "Thanks," was the soft reply, and he squeezed me again. "Sis."

 **OH MY—**

My heart leapt up in my chest as Wendy-san nearby started to take on sparkles, raising a camera. I didn't even have time to think about _where_ she got it. I was in this situation, with a drunk Marine, and gosh. Even with the impending embarrassment and cooing spiel from Hisako and Wendy-san both, my reply was honest. He was a dork. "Love you too, Davy-san."

"Aaaaah," was the reply. Then a rough kiss pressed to the top of my head.

Goodness. He really _was_ drunk if he went on to do _that_.

The scent of alcohol was still strong though, so I poked that same arm with my hand. Talks could be saved for later. "Now c'mon, you need _rest!_ I have muffins!"

It was something. At least.


	2. Chapter 2: Want some Tea with that Q?

_Note_ : I don't own anyone or anything except Tomoko. Leith belongs to fanfiction-by-abalisk and Davy Jack belongs to unlucky-marine. This little fic thing is for you two, because I love both your characters, I love _you_ , and this idea popped into my head after a full afternoon of rollerblading in the backyard and staring at some of the Davy Doodles Eli did.

Beware for some light NSFW language! Ufufufufu.

Also, shout-out to langwrites, since this is _totally_ inspired by your laughter in that one DnD session when I asked the _exact same question_ Tomoko does here. =~= * _bonk_ *

The theme for this is K-On!'s _Have Some Tea_ from the show's official soundtrack. Because the quiet hubbub of this song just fits the mood I want to do here.

Please enjoy~!

* * *

"Jack-nii? Leith-nee?"

The two named people turned to look at me from their sitting positions at the bar. Davy Jack-nii and Leith-nee — my two surrogate older siblings, in spite of Jack-nii being a background paperwork Marine and Leith-nee being part of the Whitebeard Pirates. Apparently. They did seem to get along though, so I found myself calling for them anyways because curiosity was tugging at me.

Jack-nii smiled at me first, lightly swirling his cup of what looked like a really light alcohol. And before you call me out, don't blame me for not having any alcohol experience period. Vy died when she was still underage, and her dad had an alcohol allergy. So there. "What is it, Tomo?" Even when starting to get drunk, he had enough attention to look at me directly in the eye, tilting his head in my direction.

Aaaah.

Can I say that I love Jack-nii a lot? Can I?

"What d'ya need, squirt?" Leith-nee added, placing a calloused hand on top of my head, and glancing over in her direction showed that she was nursing a cup of alcohol too. What was it with adults and bars…? Then again, I was currently a ten-year-old holding onto a cup of mixed fruit tea, because I was underage. Again. So, no room to talk or comment.

And yeah. I love Leith-nee just as much too.

My surrogate siblings, even when nursing alcohol, weren't hung over to the point of ignoring me. And the fact that they still wanted me around anyways — hey, I just love them, okay?

Though, _that_ question was still surging through my thoughts, ever since that one passing Marine pointed at me and said the word.

 **Tomoko-chan?** Hisako raised an unsteady hand, already gaping. **I don't think you should ask them at this time—**

Too late. The question was already leaving my lips before my Nobody could protest any further.

"Just wondering, but what's a furry?"

 **TOMOKO-CHAN!**

There was only a split second of silence before Jack-nii spit out his drink all over the bar table in front of him.

 **Oh god no.** Hisako facepalmed, groaning all the while. **Don't blame me for this, dear, you walked into this.**

"BAHAHAHAH!" Leith-nee, to my shock, started laughing up a storm, nearly dropping her own drink onto the floor as Jack-nii started to cough. I was already reaching over to rub his back, just as the confusion was setting in quickly. "T-Tomo — _pffft_ — ohmigosh, a _furry_ …"

"W-Was it something I said?" I squeaked out, voice cracking all the while, because this was starting to look like _another_ situation I was familiar with from a past life. "I-I mean, I heard a Marine use that term when pointing at me, and I wasn't sure! I-Isn't a furry something like a giant animal-person?!"

Yep. I was rambling.

Aaaaand that didn't help anything because Leith-nee proceeded to fall out of her seat, laughing even harder now as Jack-nii started to _choke_ on whatever was stuck in his throat. For the next few minutes, I was relegated to hearing my older sister laugh and hold onto her stomach, squirming on the ground while my older brother was still coughing out his lungs. So, I did what I could, providing comfort to the nearest sibling, being Jack-nii.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long until Jack-nii was the first to compose himself and look up at me again, his Marine hat nearly falling off his brown hair in the process. "T-Tomoko-chan? Who told you that word?"

"L-Like I said," my face was starting to turn hot as the words slipped from my cracking voice box all the while, "it was a passing Marine, Jack-nii. I-I think it was someone in your division, since I did see them around before, I just wasn't expecting them to p-point at me and say," I put on my best voice for the guy, "' _That girl would make a good furry_ ,' a-and I wasn't sure! So, I wanted to ask you and Leith-nee!"

Leith's laughter immediately stopped as she slowly sat up to put a hand on the nearest clean seat. "Okay," she said curtly. "Tomo, a furry is a weird thing some adults like, with animals being a part of it. Now will you please tell me that Marine's name?"

 **Oh no. These people are taking** _ **my**_ **lines!** _ **I**_ **need to beat this guy's face in!**

 _Uh._ Hisako wasn't making sense.

Instead, I turned back to Jack-nii, and he was starting to look rather indignant too, even when straightening his hat. Um. "Leith, are you—"

"I'm not going to _kill_ him, Davy, don't worry," she barked down another laugh while saying so, "but I think we have a pedo on our hands anyways. The guy deserves _something_."

 _Uhhhhh._

"S-Should I be worried or something?"

Leith-nee quickly turned to me with a warm smile while sitting back in her seat, shaking her head. "Not at all, squirt." I didn't miss how her voice turned soft and syrupy. Huh? "I just need a name, and then Davy here can explain to you later."

I blinked. "G-Gaku Yashiro-san?" was my final squeak.

Leith nodded, sparkling all the while as she reached over to pat my head. "Good girl. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go meet this _Yashiro_." Looking past me, she yelled, "Davy, you take care of Tomo, will ya?!" Then, she…well, essentially got up from her chair, ignoring her drink aside from leaving the nice tip for the now spooked bartender, and walked towards the nearest door, letting off what looked like a dark aura all the while.

Um.

"G-Got it," Jack-nii replied quietly, sounding almost dejected as his hand landed on my right shoulder. "Always me with this stuff…"

 **The guy got it coming.**

 _Um_. I turned my head to look back up at Jack-nii. "Should I ask?"

He smiled wryly this time and shook his head. "Don't, Tomo-chan." Jack-nii then swooped down to press a kiss to the top of my head, and I tried not to squeak from the embarrassment, because _why_. I wasn't expecting that! "Leith can handle it. Now, let's get you back to the office and we can try to clean up paperwork?"

Even with his offer, I had the strange feeling I opened up a new rabbit hole and Leith-nee was going to be burying someone in it.

Aaaaaah.

The tea and other drinks were already cold by the time we left.


	3. Chapter 3: Good Marine Jack-nii

_Note_ : I don't think it needs to be said so often, but nonetheless, copyright concerns. =-= So, I don't own anything or anyone except Tomoko. Davy Jack belongs to unlucky-marine and Leith belongs to fanfiction-by-abalisk. Also, light shout-out to langwrites, because Kei _is_ mentioned once here. :p And ask-lieutenant-wendy too, since Wendy is lovely. :)

And, lemme guess. "Why am I writing this again when I could be writing _Civilian Pianist_ and/or _The Sea and Stars_?" Because I have _happy_ feels and Eli's art + Abalisk's writing of the _Flight of The Albatross_ together make a college girl really giddy, even when school is coming up soon. Also, this serves as Tomoko character study/introspection, in a way. Because in both aforementioned stories, she never really had _older siblings_ aside from Kushina, and that case is kinda different.

Anywho, here we go~! I'd like to think this chronologically takes place between _Helping a Drunk Marine_ and _Want some Tea with that Question_ while also (somewhat) explaining Tomoko's presence in _One Piece_ in the first place. I'm no Lang, since she writes a _whole_ lot better than me when it comes to crossovers in my personal opinion, but _Ocean Stars Falling_ definitely did start something.

The theme for this little drabble-turned fic-thing (which hit 2k words, _gosh_ ) is raykrislianggi's piano cover of _Platinum_ , from Cardcaptor Sakura. And, little spoiler. Jack-nii's going to _hear_ why his little sister loves him so much.

Please enjoy.

Oh, and to Eli? Thanks. For creating Davy. A little pianist is going to start talking now and prove to them _why_ they're not just any unlucky Marine. :)

* * *

Leith-san — well, Leith- _nee_ now — didn't really have the fondest opinion of Marines. At least, from what I could remember. The few times the Whitebeard Pirates ended up in Nagareboshi Cafe, after all, weren't that often. In fact, the visits were too erratically spaced, random, and overall, _unpredictable_.

That didn't stop me from being happy whenever I saw her and Ace, but sometimes, Leith-nee worried me.

" _Tomo, promise me that if you ever end up on the sea where Ace and I are,_ don't _go cohorting with anyone in a white jacket and a blue hat, okay? Those guys aren't like us. They're called Marines and they're the worst."_

" _Er, Spoons, isn't there one guy you know that's fine?"_

" _Ace, what are the odds_ she's _gonna meet him?"_

" _You got me there."_

She had a pretty scary face on when she said all that, so it was hard to say no. She was _Leith-nee_ , great guitarist and good singer who kept nightmares away. It was hard in _general_ to say no to an insistent statement like that, especially from _her_.

Call me naive or innocent, but that's how I am.

 **There's nothing wrong with that.**

I know, Hisako.

It was why Davy Jack-san confused me when I first met him. Well, "them," actually, but the pronouns depended on the day. I met him via literally crashing into his office one day by magic-portal-transport thingie.

…Please don't look at me like that, it was the only way I could describe the thingie without using "black hole," because if a real black hole showed up, I'd probably be dead. Maybe Kamui from a weird Uchiha or something, because the Obito I knew didn't have that yet.

Anyways.

I wish I could tell you how it happened, but I don't know either. One day, I'm just taking a nap as a break in the cafe, the next, I'm falling through a hole and landing neatly in a large pile of paperwork. All in front of a shocked man trying to sign other papers, wearing — you guessed it.

A white jacket and a blue hat.

" _Ughhhhhhh_ , what happened, and where's Mama…?"

"Uh."

All it took was a simple meeting of eyes, and then my heart was leaping out of my chest like a nervous frog. With the helpful extra serving of butterflies added into my stomach. Wonderful.

Sitting in a pile of now _crumpled_ paperwork had my responsibility alarms go off already.

 **Not that you don't have those** _ **constantly on**_ **.**

Shush.

 **Hah.**

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to drop in on you! Oh _no_ , and the papers…!" Please excuse my attention span, being dropped into a completely new area _away_ from home can do that. So, squeaky voices are allowed. "I'm _sorry_ —!"

I didn't even have time to take in the fact that he was wearing a hat clearly saying, "Marine," in blue lettering on the front. There were so many alarm bells, but luck seemed to be different for me. All Davy-san did was smile, stand up from his desk chair, and walk over to me so that we could be at eye level.

"It's okay, I can clean this up later. Where did you come from, sweetie?"

I didn't expect him to be so _kind_.

Leith-nee told me to be wary of people wearing white jackets and blue hats. But whenever Davy-san showed up, I always found myself smiling anyways.

He called himself "unlucky" for reasons I wouldn't understand if I was just a normal ten-year-old. But being a botched reincarnation had benefits, and I could see things a ten-year-old Vy probably wouldn't have.

Davy-san was kind and hardworking, but also too _stressed_. I always imagined the Marines to be a white-blue version of Konoha's military, being ninja, but from the way Davy-san worked with them, they seemed almost _human_.

Lazy, tired, liable to put paperwork off, and people who would leave piles of the stuff for my new caretaker to sign instead.

Yep. Human alright. _Definitely…_

Media always did kinda skirt around the business part of the military, even back in the old world.

Leith-nee did say Marines were corrupt.

But whenever I looked up at Davy-san…

"Tomo-chan? What are you smiling about?"

"Hee hee, _nothing_ ~!"

Hisako only laughed.

Of course he would get on that nickname train too. Kei started it, and now everyone I knew was adopting it. But there was something sweet about a 22-year-old _overworked_ Marine saying it with a bright smile on his face behind all the paperwork when you came into the room.

He was like Vy's old Dad. Or maybe he was like a reminder for the parts of me that was still Vy.

Still, I loved him. A lot.

There was no doubt about it.

No other Marine would've taken a ten-year-old girl in as their office assistant and paid for her every need in the meantime before the next portal-thingie would take her home. Even if I tried to protest on the money thing.

It was just hard to show love when he was constantly _stressed_.

Carrying papers, bringing deliveries _of papers_ , and taking pictures of pirates for bounties. I had _no clue_ about the details on that last part, but the simple fact that he got _stabbed_ often and _laughed it off_ like some other ninja I knew did not help anything.

" _Tomo-chan, it's just a scratch. Mom hits harder, so don't worry about it."_

Kei's words still echoed in my head, and it was not a fun feeling to remember all that.

It was why I decided to try doing what I did best for Davy-san.

He deserved something, something other than the usual reminders that he was "unlucky."

Thank goodness the Marines had a _grand piano_.

* * *

Even after a few months of sticking with me every now and then when following my Marine caretaker, my Sylveon dress was still dependable in how it didn't attract much dust. So, even when tossing it in with the other Marines' laundry, because really, how else would I achieve cleaning, it came out good as new.

It was the only outfit I had from Konoha on me right now, and it was my good luck charm from Mama. It was the only thing I could put on that was _worthy_ of the occasion. No one really used the music room, and after finding it on my second day in this world? It was _mine_. No questions about it.

Wendy-san was really sweet about the plan when I told her.

" _Don't worry, dear, Wendy-san has your back! I'll get Davy for you! I'll always be there to lift him up!"_

Yep. She was buff, awesome, and _tall_. Also, sported blonde hair in a way that reminded me of someone else who could easily kick ass. Of course I would love her too. Blame a girl who likes nice people.

It took about half an hour for Davy-san to come into the music room, but by then, I had everything set up. Spotlight, piano bench, and chairs.

Wendy-san was invited to watch too, because of course.

I couldn't miss the shock in Davy — well, _Jack-nii_ 's face when I called out for him.

"Jack-nii! Wendy-nee! Over here!"

They were my older siblings. I couldn't call them anything else _but_ that. Whenever I would see Papa again, I was so going to try convincing him to hire them for the cafe. The work there would be better than _paperwork_ , at least in my child-influenced opinion.

And yes, I was being a complete dork by waving at them wildly from the piano. Even though I was supposed to be the _entertainer_ tonight. Oh well. I loved them both.

Jack-nii's jaw dropped as soon as he was in the doorway, and Wendy-nee was already giggling into her hand as she put a hand on his shoulder to push him in. "Hi, Tomo-chan~!" she hummed instead, already sitting my speechless caretaker down into a chair. "Ready?"

"Always!" I chirped, because I was on happy juice, and nothing could ruin this. I planned it.

"T-Tomo-chan, did you—" Jack-nii's jaw was still on the floor as he essentially flopped over into his chair. "This is—"

Nervous heat was flooding my cheeks with pink already, but the show had to go on. "I wanted to put on something for you, Jack-nii. You and Wendy-nee," Wendy, at being addressed, already let out a happy squeal at that, "did a lot for me. You didn't have to, but you took me in anyways. And, uh." Oh no, now I was feeling a ramble going on, and the spotlight needed to be _less bright_ , but whatever! "Iloveyouboth, and, and, Iwantedtoplaysomethingforyou!"

Jack-nii only continued to gape at me as Wendy-nee started to sparkle in my direction. I didn't even have to read her lips, only saw her make the hand gestures towards the piano, and I swallowed the lump in my throat to turn to the piano, close my eyes, and just _play_.

Remembering the lyrics wasn't that hard, but it wasn't the time to sing. This was the time for the piano to shine like how Vy always liked it.

 _I am a dreamer…_

 _Hidden power…_

These two Marines deserved more. They deserved _better_ than a corrupt military. Leith-nee might've said a lot of Marines were bad, but maybe Jack-nii was the guy she and Ace were debating about.

I wanted to believe that. These two people at least proved it.

Jack-nii and Wendy-nee. Two of the greatest, hardworking, and _kindest_ Marines I could ever have as caretakers.

The song was only four minutes, but it felt like an hour to little ol' me.

By the time the last note was played, I turned back to my audience. Wendy-nee was tearing up in her seat and Jack-nii was nowhere to be seen.

"Eh?"

That was all I was able to say before someone was pulling me into a hug from behind, and once I hit a familiar white jacket and was looking up into brown eyes, I was already giggling.

"Hi, Jack-nii! I hope you don't mind my way of saying, 'Love you!' Did it help with the work stress?"

My words were honest and rather childish.

Still, he smiled with what looked like a tear in his eye too before he squeezed my waist and promptly buried his nose into my hair. A laugh tickled the top of my head. "You sweetheart, you," was all I could make out.

Then I heard it.

"Love you too, Tomo-chan."

I did not regret turning around in the hug and promptly tackling him to reciprocate.

We were all dorks, and I was completely fine with that.

These two Marines gave me a home away from home, and I loved them for that.

And in the end?

I love Davy Jack and Wendy, just as much as Leith-nee and Kei, and that's just fine. We were all happy, and that was good enough.


	4. Chapter 4: Soup for the Sick

_Note_ : …At this rate, this is already a _series_. One Piece and Naruto mixed. Never thought I would be getting into it. But unlucky-marine's art is something that always brings a smile to my face, and considering langwrites writing the My Hero Academia-CYB crossover of _Shell Game_ , well…

Yeah, I have no excuse. CP and S&S are still going on, but these little side stories starring the civilian pianist with her older Marine sibling-caretaker are _adorable_ and I like giving something back to Eli. :) So there. Eli got me on the Tomo-Davy sibling train, and I can't thank them enough for that. I've never had someone so outspoken in _loving_ kid!Tomoko whenever I talked to them, so I think the appreciation goes miles now. ^_^

Of course, I don't own anything except Tomoko and Hisako. Davy belongs to Eli, and Wendy to ask-lieutenant-wendy.

The theme for this story is inspired by the sea, being SaphiraLynx's piano cover of _Mizuiro no Senritsu_ from Mermaid Melody. Or, as the translation calls it, the _Aquamarine Melody_ , originally sung by the Aquamarine Mermaid Princess herself. :) The original song works just as well if you want to pull it up~

Please enjoy!

Oh, and Eli? You don't have to feel pressured in making art for every part of this series, by the way. Only do it if you feel like it. I only write this whole thing because your art brought a lot of happy juice for me in these last days of summer and seeing you on Twitch and talking with you only helped _fuel_ that. Friends look out for each other, and well, considering your theater job? A nice read is something you more than deserve. ;

* * *

The words felt foreign in my mouth. "Jackie-nee's sick?"

Wendy-nee gave me a sad smile as she sat down on her knees, a hand reaching over to rest on the top of my head. "She's just resting in her barracks, Tomoko-chan. But yes, Jackie's sick. It's a cold, thankfully, so the bad sickness won't be here forever."

"How?" was already escaping my throat, and I found myself covering my mouth with both of my hands out of politeness and shock. My caretaker wasn't the kind of person who found themselves _sick_ so easily. At least, from what I could tell. When feeling more masculine as Jack-nii, he could easily kick someone's ass if he wanted to, more so when I heard him mutter once on how he could break all 206 bones in a body. That was cool and kinda scary. When feeling feminine as Jackie-nee, she could then smash a womanizer's face in with her heel and look _beautiful_ doing it.

Being genderfluid was still something I didn't know much about, more so considering I was a cis-female, but my caretaker was awesome. Simple as that.

I never thought I would _hear_ the news that they would be sick.

 **But, alas, Tomoko-chan, my dear.** Hisako swirled her glass of…lemonade. Okay. She was doing it while sitting in an armchair like Giovanni from _Pokémon_ or something. All she needed was a Persian. And she was doing The Voice. Woo. **We all are mere mortals.**

Ugh.

I couldn't help but find my heart sinking when Wendy-nee's smile turned a bit more forced, as if frustrated. "I don't think you want to know, Tomoko-chan. Let's just say a Flamingo got a bit too angry and leave it at that, okay?" The minute crack in her voice was already enough for me to nod and accept it. I was still 10 in this life, so in Wendy-nee's eyes, of course I was still a kid. An innocent kid, probably.

"Okay," I said softly, but I still found myself gently tugging on her shirt collar to pull her in for a hug. It didn't feel right going about this conversation _without_ doing it. She looked troubled enough already, and my arms could wind around her neck, at least. "I'm sorry for prying, Wendy-nee."

To my surprise, the blond Marine only laughed softly, arms coming around me to hug back. Aaaaah, she had a similar grip to _Mama_ when she was excited. Tough muscle, but still snuggly. "It's okay, Tomoko-chan, you were worried. It's okay."

I was not expecting her to lift me up anyways, essentially letting my sandals hit air as she pulled away from the hug to grin cheerily up at me. Somehow, I was sitting in her arms, close to her shoulders. _Somehow_! Aaaaaah, awesome strength. Also, Wendy-nee being 7 foot 2 and being carried that close to her height made everything in the near vicinity feel _small_ , and gosh, being tall feels so cool! Fluttering skirt be damned.

…Don't judge me on this. I'm _still_ trying to gain height by drinking milk.

Wendy-nee's purple eyes were now sparkling with something soft as she looked at me with that same grin. Her one curly hair sticking out from her hat tickled as she continued to beam. "Still, Tomoko-chan, what do you want to do now? Do you want to visit Jackie?"

The offer was tempting. Very tempting.

Hisako only swirled her cup of lemonade before chugging it in a few seconds flat. Once all the liquid was gone, she tossed the cup away, the motion accompanied by a small mental CRASH that was of the glass breaking in the mind library somewhere. **Hm,** she mused. **It's nice, but you're thinking of something else, aren't you, dear?**

Yep. My Nobody was already reading my thoughts.

"Not now, Wendy-nee," I shook my head while smiling anyways. "But could you carry me to the kitchen? I wanna cook something first!"

Those same purple eyes blinked at me slowly.

"Huh?"

* * *

"Here again, Tomoko-chan?"

The Marine chefs, despite bustling around with food and plates in almost every corner of the kitchen, all seemed to notice me as soon as Wendy-nee dropped me off in the doorway. She had work to do, unfortunately, but at least the big bear hug and bright smile in my direction before she left was a nice send-off.

Still, I was a 10-year old girl in a Sylveon-themed kimono dress, standing in the kitchen doorway, and at this point, the Marines weren't even fazed. Huh.

 **Adjustment period is officially over** , Hisako mused dryly.

I nodded at the nearest chef who asked with the politest smile I could muster. "Yep! Jackie-nee's not feeling well, so I thought of cooking!" And then the Embarrassment was coming back in. Why, heart, why. "I-Is that okay?"

Said chef only shrugged with an exasperated smile before pointing to a nearby corner. Almost immediately, some of the chefs cleared away, leaving a small cutting board, knife, oven, and stove in the space left behind. "Go ahead, Tomoko-chan. That counter there's all yours."

The bright smile on my face was just as sudden as the swing of Embarrassment from earlier. "Thank you very much, Chef-san!"

The man only scoffed softly in a way reminiscent of Vy's old Dad, almost in disbelief judging by the noise. In the end, he still nodded in acknowledgement at me as the other staff slowly moved away enough so that I could walk over.

 **For a corrupt military, the staff's surprisingly sweet.**

 _Maybe they don't have a lot of kids around?_

My Nobody only shrugged. Then I started hearing whispers while walking past.

" _That Jack sure is lucky."_

" _Of course it's the paperwork guy who gets a cute girl looking after them."_

" _Why can't I get someone to drop through a hole in the ceiling to love me?"_

 _ **Ohhhh**_ **!** Hisako was smirking. Oh no. **My, my,** _ **my**_ **!** **Tomoko-chan, you're popular!**

I still ran through the kitchen as fast as I could to get to that corner, because the heat on my face wasn't going to go down otherwise. Aaaaaaah.

What was wrong with loving a caretaker like a sibling when you didn't have any? Well, I technically had Kei and Hayate, but there was something different about _older_ siblings than younger ones. In a past life, I was the younger one, and that was a mixed bag. Actually having that memory when it came to my Marine caretaker was the main seal to the deal. I could at least help out without looking like a brat doing it.

Reincarnation had benefits when it was botched. Apparently.

Still, once I got to my corner and got a good stare over everything, my head blanked. Um. "I know I said I wanted to cook something, but what's good for a cold…?"

 **Soup?** Hisako offered helpfully. **Chicken Noodle? Clam Chowder? Gumbo? Or, heck,** _ **curry**_ **? Anything warm should do!**

Those were all good suggestions. Especially since Jackie-nee was said to be resting _from_ her cold.

I looked around. The kitchen staff were currently using a _lot_ of seafood judging by the nearby _lobster platter_ , so the clam chowder was a bust. I wasn't even sure if I could do gumbo at my age, but chicken noodle soup sounded nice.

Only problem.

The only chicken I could see in the entire kitchen was a big _frozen_ one sitting in the nearby freezer, and the staff were pretty crowded over there.

Ummmm.

 **Run?**

 _No. This is a kitchen, Hisako._

 **Point. Fast-walk and** _ **try**_ **to wing carrying it?**

It was an idea.

I tried. I really did. But being a short little girl in a crowd of _tall_ chefs kinda meant being squished. Think any anime/gaming convention, where you would bump shoulders with someone every 5 seconds. It was like that.

"E-Er, excuse me? I'm trying to get through?" Even with my voice cracking, getting stuck in a crowd of moving people meant elbowing, and I was not good at that. Even if Kei had taught me self-defense, this was _not_ the time to be throwing hands! "I-I'd like to get that chicken, please!"

Ignored. Because there was so much hustling and a pre-pubescent voice was hard to make out.

Aaaaah.

And then hands were sliding under my arms and effortlessly lifting me up, and I found myself squeaking. I could already tell that this wasn't Wendy-nee's grip, so who—

"Hey, you guys really should look out when in the kitchen. This little lady would've gotten hurt."

Huh?

I looked behind me and met the stare of someone clearly new. I don't know if he was ever in this kitchen staff before, but with his curly eyebrow, greyish-blue eye, straight blond hair falling down to brush the left side of his face, and muscular arms in spite of the Marine chef uniform, he definitely looked like someone that Jackie-nee would want to take a picture for when it came to bounties. This new person was definitely something. "You alright, ojou-chan?"

He grinned while still holding me up in his hands, and I tried not to squirm. Wearing a skirt in the kitchen and being lifted all the while was…yeah. "I-I am, but um, Chef-san?" I gestured to the ground while trying not to inwardly panic. "C-Could you please put me down?" I pointed to my corner. "Over there?"

The new Chef blinked at the direction I was pointing at before grinning again and nodding. "Whatever the ojou-chan wishes~!" I didn't miss how he hummed before he literally _slid_ over to my corner, ignoring chefs passing him all the while, and I tried not to focus on the sensation of my stomach churning. Motion sickness would be motion sickness.

Thankfully, I didn't have to think on the stomach butterflies longer than necessary, because he was quick to put me down, still grinning all the while. "Now, ojou-chan." I was not expecting his smile to turn into a more solemn expression. "What were you doing there? This is a kitchen, and not exactly the best place to play around."

Aaaah. Another adult. I tried not to pout. "I was trying to get the chicken from the freezer. My older sibling who's in the Marines got sick, and I was thinking of trying to make Chicken Noodle soup for them!"

He only blinked that same grey-blue eye at me before pulling on a more amused smile. "Oh?" he said softly, before turning his head around to look towards that far-away refrigerator. "Do you at least know _how_ to make it, ojou-chan?"

…Um.

 **Uh.**

I squeaked, "No?"

 **We did** _ **not**_ **think this through.**

He only pulled on a more confident smile while tossing something into the nearest trash can. Was it…a cigarette? "Well then! Let this cook help you out, ojou-chan!"

I blinked. "It's okay?"

With that same confidence, he turned to me while twirling a — holy _crap_ , he was twirling a knife. I only blinked once, and then he was brandishing a small bowl of diced…diced _onions_? When did he— "I'm a cook, ojou-chan. And when a lady is in trouble, it's natural to help out." He then sat down on his knees, looking at me with that grey-blue eye, now sparkling. "I'm Sanji by the way, ojou-chan. What's your name?"

Ah. He reminded me of Leo, at least a little. "I-I'm Hoshino Tomoko, Sanji-san." Out of habit, I took a bit of my skirt to curtsy. "It's nice to meet you, and I hope to work with you!"

Sanji-san only grinned. "And I you, little lady."

He then brandished a bowl of cut carrots. Wow, that was a lot of skill.

* * *

Chicken Noodle Soup was, surprisingly enough, _simple_. Even though I only had Vy's experience to call from when cooking, Sanji-san was quick. It only took an _hour_ for him to prepare homemade chicken and vegetable broths for the soup, and by the time the chicken hit the soup pot, a warm homey smell was wafting around the kitchen, and I could've sworn some chefs were drooling while walking past.

"So, ojou-chan," he said while stirring the soup with a ladle, "who's your older sibling?"

Aaaand Sanji-san had to ask just when I was putting dishes away in this little corner. "Davy Jack-san! Currently going by Jackie, but I call her Jackie-nee! I think…" my voice cracked while recalling Wendy-nee's words. "A Flamingo got angry and gave her a cold? Or something?"

The words were silly, but I didn't miss how Sanji-san tensed. It almost looked like a shiver went up his spine before a nervous chuckle sounded. "D-Davy Jack, huh…? That's interesting, ojou-chan." He then muttered something under his breath that I couldn't hear, but all I could make out was, "that explains things."

Hisako wasn't having any of it. **He's nice, but I dunno, Tomoko-chan. That reaction wasn't the best.**

Did my caretaker know this guy?

I ended up voicing it. "Do you know Jackie-nee, Sanji-san?"

Immediately, the cook turned to me with a warm smile, turning down the heat to the soup pot while doing so. "Kinda, ojou-chan. It's a long story. But the soup's almost done!"

Yep. That was a sudden subject change. So something _did_ happen between them.

And was it just me, or did Sanji-san look sad for a moment?

I blinked, and as soon as I thought that, the glint in that grey-blue eye disappeared. "Still, ojou-chan, wanna go serve this soup to your sibling then? I have to be somewhere, so I can't stay long."

Already, I was feeling disappointed. It had only been a few hours but having a cooking companion aside from my Nobody _did_ something. "Will I see you again?"

Sanji-san then turned off the heat entirely before turning to me fully and sitting down on his knees. "Of course, ojou-chan." He then grinned, reaching over to poke my forehead through my bangs, and I tried not to wince. "Just look for a sail with a skull and a straw hat, and you'll find me."

 **Skull and a straw hat? What the hell is that supposed to be? A pirate flag thing?**

I still nodded in spite of Hisako's incoming rant. "Okay."

Of course, I would jump on Sanji-san for a hug too. He deserved it, at least.

* * *

Jackie-nee was sitting up in her bed at the barracks, reading what looked like a book when I was finally able to pop in. Wendy-nee was still at work along with the other Marines, so it made sense that there was no one else around.

I did my best to balance the soup bowl tray in my hands while hiding it from view. "Jackie-nee?"

She blinked before looking up from her book, and of course I could see that familiar spark that I grew to love so much. "Tomo-chan," she murmured happily, then coughed softly into one of her hands. "Sorry, I can't hug you right now. Still — _hack_ — sick. Wendy told you that, didn't she?"

Even then, I couldn't help but smile back. "Wendy-nee did say that, but I do have something for you!"

"What's that, sweetie?"

"Well…" I tried not to run over to her bedside and instead walked over as gently as I could before brandishing the tray for her to take. "Chicken Noodle Soup. To help make the sick go away?"

I still wanted to ask myself _how and why_ I reverted to childish talk when it _only_ came to my caretaker, but the warm smile on her face made the thought process stop in its tracks. "Oh, Tomo-chan." She looked down at the warm bowl before taking the spoon and blowing at it. "You didn't have to."

"But I wanted to!" Another pout was coming up on my face now. "I missed you and you deserve something to help you rest better! You work too much!"

At that, Jackie-nee suddenly snorted before laughing softly. "Yeah? I guess so." The warmth in her voice said everything as she finally took a sip, and then the color was returning to her face as she smiled. " _Whoa_. Tomo-chan," she gave me that same warm smile, "did you make this all by yourself?"

 **Nope.** Hisako said for me.

"Nope," I repeated with a more sheepish shrug. "I had help."

Now Jackie-nee was confused. "Who helped? Wendy?"

 _Should I say the name…?_

 **No harm in trying, dear.** Hisako only patted my head.

"A new chef in the kitchen?" I found myself raising a pointer finger. "His name was Sanji-san!"

I was not expecting Jackie-nee to nearly drop her spoon mid-bite. "S-Sanji?"

 **Oh dear. Bombshell.**

"Um, he was nice," I filled in instead, because the sudden silence _and_ the shock in Jackie-nee's gaze was kinda hard to deal with all at once. "He helped me cut chicken and taught me how to make vegetable broth for next time! He also kept me out from being trampled by crowds and called me 'ojou-chan'!"

"… _What_ next time?" Jackie-nee said incredulously, but the simple fact that she was still eating was a good sign. At least, I was hoping so. "And, pffft." I wasn't expecting her to snort into her free hand. "'Ojou-chan,' huh." But, oh.

She was smiling again.

I sat down at the foot of her bed, trying not to show my confusion. "Jackie-nee?"

She gave me that same warm smile. "It's nothing, Tomo-chan. Nothing at all."

And this time, I could believe it. Somewhat. At least while sneaking in one hug.

Hey. I have pride in my immune system, and screw colds! Soup keeps the doctor away!

"T-Tomo-chan, I'm sick…!"

"Just lemme hug you _once_ , Jackie-nee, I missed you!"

Her only response was an exasperated laugh. I could settle for that. It kept thoughts of asking about Sanji-san away for another day.


	5. Chapter 5: Flower Ring

_Note:_ Once again, I don't own anyone or _anything_ except Tomoko. Davy Jack belongs to unlucky-marine, Leith belongs to fanfiction-by-abalisk, Kei belongs to langwrites, and Portgas D. Ace belongs to Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece. All I can claim aside from that is the idea for this story.

The theme for this fic thing is from No Game No Life: Zero, the track being titled _Please Let Me Stay With You Forever_. ;) I find this piece to be fitting considering… Well, what's going to happen.

And, of course, it has to be said. I'm kinda writing on a whim here, a very happy, _on-the-spur-of-the-moment_ kind of whim, so for the sake of this fic, I'm just assuming (1) Marineford didn't turn out as bad, so Ace _and_ Whitebeard are alive in this fic for the sake of fluff, (2) the Whitebeard Pirates are _still a thing_ AND Thatch is with them, and (3) Leith is traveling with Ace for this fic because reasons. Also, (4) you won't hear Tomoko mention Blackbeard because unlike Kei in OSF, she has _no_ clue who the guy is. And I highly doubt her Jack-nii would tell her about the guy. Please bear with me. . I'm a third-year college student who needed to get away from O-Chem, Genetics, and Physics all at once for a bit, and this idea was too nice to resist.

Oh! And Ace's hairstyle in this story is inspired by the Ace that shows up on ask-fire-fist! Just because I find it fits. :)

Well. This is my last little request. Enjoy the ride!

* * *

"Tomo-chan, make sure to stick by me, okay?"

"Okay, Jack-nii."

"And, and," my Marine caretaker raised his only free hand in the air to wave wildly, "Don't wander off, alright?! You could get lost, especially in Dressrossa with all the crime! I'll be trying to take pictures, so I can't watch you all the time!" The worried look on his face would normally be adorable if not for this being the umpteenth time he was giving me this lecture in the past few days. "Just hold onto my hand or my jacket if you need me, okay?!"

 **He's worse at worrying than** _ **you,**_ **dear.** Hisako muttered.

Ack. Damage-control needed to come in.

"Jack-nii," I tried not to whine and instead tried to say it as calmly and nicely as a ten-year-old voice could afford to get, "I'll be okay. I'll stick by you and not wander off and get lost. You don't have to repeat yourself. I'm more worried about you _dropping_ your camera."

Yep. Davy Jack. My Marine caretaker, 22 years old, genderfluid, and a lovable dork that I couldn't help but look up to. Still, he could be kinda…

"Tomo-chan, I don't think I'm going to _drop_ it," he said flatly, placing his free hand on his hip while holding up the rather new DSLR camera that was hanging from a strap around his neck with his other. "I've been doing this longer than I've been taking care of you, really."

Yep. He was annoyed.

 **Tomoko-chan, turn on the charm.**

 _Um._ What?

 **Just be you,** Hisako quickly amended.

 _Ooookay._

"And, Jack-nii, I'm _happy_ that you got the Marines' permission to take me with you on this photo-trip!" I found myself pouting with the statement, because really, I did _not_ want to argue with Jack-nii and possibly ruin the mood of the day. I loved him too much already. No stomping of sandals in this area. "But please, you don't have to worry _that_ much about me! I'll just stick by you, like I said! I wanted to stay with you in the beginning of this whole thing, and I'm not going to stop now!"

Davy Jack-nii was family to me now. Simple as that.

Jack-nii only blinked at me, clearly not expecting that response before a smile of some sorts slowly bloomed on his face. "…Oh, _you_ ," he muttered, and then I was being swept up in a huge bear hug.

Aaaaaah. The camera was still hanging around Jack-nii's neck, so I could _feel_ it poking into my stomach. At least a little.

 **Er. Shouldn't we say something?** Hisako suggested numbly.

What came out of my mouth instead was a small squeak of, "J-Jack-nii?"

"You are such a _sweet_ little girl, Tomo, you know that?" My Marine caretaker was now _cooing_ like another red-haired Uzumaki I knew. A few more unintelligible coos later, his grip on me loosened as he adjusted the positioning of the hug, essentially having me sit in his arms now while giving enough distance to not squish the DSLR camera between us. And goodness, he was _still_ grinning. "My little brothers and Ruth could learn a little something from you."

For some reason, I could feel my face start to flood with heat. Jack-nii never did seem to mention his family a lot when he was at work, aside from the occasion Den Den no Mushi call back to his mom's inn, from what I heard from Wendy-nee, anyways, so _that_ comment was completely out of left field. I think I have an excuse to be embarrassed. "J-Jack-niiiiiii, I'm not _that_ good!"

" _Hah_ , I beg to differ, little lady," was the teasing reply back, and then I was getting another snuggle. Jack-nii pressed his cheek against the top of my head now, letting me only look up to the underside of his chin as he hummed all the while. "But thank you, sweetie. I love you~"

I breathed in the scent of laundry detergent and salt water that was Jack-nii's Marine blue bandana before nodding, hiding my face in the crook of my caretaker's neck while hugging him back.

The dork. The _dork_.

"…Tomo-chan?" Jack-nii only rocked me in the hug, confusion coming through his voice now.

Yep. He was going to be the death of me long before Kei and the rest of Team Minato were.

But on the plus side, Jack-nii was the older sibling I never got until now. At least, aside from Kushina-nee, but sometimes, she was more of a mother than an older sister with how much cooing she did.

My caretaker was humming while continuing to rock me in his arms. "Tomo-chan, you don't have to hide~!"

"Muuuuu," was the best approximation of the embarrassed mumble that left my throat.

The absolute, lovable _dork_.

 _I love you too, Jack-nii._

Having Davy Jack-nii at my side was one of the greatest things in my life already.

With him, I could almost forget life back at Konoha with everyone else. Almost.

* * *

Dressrossa was a lot prettier than I thought it was going to be. According to one of the old maps sitting in the Marine base where Jack-nii worked, it was a Kingdom in the New World known best for its flowers, food, and battles. Yep. _Battles._ Apparently, there was even a coliseum, and judging by some of the _cherry bombs_ sitting in a pouch strapped to the back of Jack-nii's jacket, my caretaker was already on guard for something happening.

Though, weird thing to note. Among those maps about Dressrossa was a single scrap of crumpled paper, showing something of a crescent-moon shaped island labeled, "Marineford," but past that, I couldn't make out much else before Jack-nii swept that up with the other papers when passing by my little "secretary" desk. I still don't know if I was supposed to see that, but I never did see that paper again.

 _ **Ahem**_ **. Tomoko-chan.**

Oops.

Going back to the situation at hand, I was essentially following Jack-nii's every step in Dressrossa by holding onto the hem of the jacket sleeve covering his only free hand. Why? His other hand was still holding his DSLR camera rather protectively. It was a small gesture, since I wasn't sure if I had explicit permission to hold onto his _hand_ for this kind of mission thing, and if _Vy's_ memories of photography were any indication, my caretaker needed as much of his attention span free if it meant taking a good shot. So, holding onto his sleeve.

Thankfully, Jack-nii didn't seem to mind, if his casual walking around town and the few glances shot my way were any indication. Even when on the job, he was still my caretaker. "Just squeeze my hand if you see anything suspicious or weird, Tomo-chan," he mouthed mid-glance, and I couldn't help but smile back.

I was hoping nothing bad would happen and Jack-nii's worry would be unfounded.

But, of course, _something_ was going to happen.

The big _bonfire_ up ahead in the distance was kinda a big giveaway to begin with.

"What in the blazing f— _heck_?" Jack-nii was already holding back a curse word as his free hand immediately reached over to grab mine. Even when panicked, he was still looking after me. "Why is that area on fire— _wait_." From what I could see of the side of his face through his bandana and hat, he was…paling? " _No_."

Um.

 **He knows something we don't. Again.** Hisako deadpanned.

"Jack-nii?" I tried slowly, ignoring the raising of Oblivion by my Nobody.

"No, it can't be _him_ , but if it is…" Jack-nii shook his head, jostling his Marine hat all the while before looking back at me with a shakier smile. "Tomo-chan, think you can run?"

I blinked up at him. I wasn't expecting that. "Huh? I mean, Jack-nii, I _can_ , but why?" Kei and Obito kinda drilled the skill into me, even with my motion sickness at ninja speeds, but the confusion was hard to fight off in the first place.

 _Don't tell me—_

Hisako was already raising her Keyblade like a sword, frowning. **He's not planning on getting** _ **close**_ **to that mess, is he?!**

Jack-nii only squeezed my hand. "Better idea." I didn't even have a chance to blink again before I was getting swept up, and next thing I knew, I was hanging onto my caretaker's shoulders as one arm was supporting my legs, and I tried not to squawk at the sensation of my feet flailing in the air. "Going piggyback's easier and kinda safer!"

I wanted to beg to differ _so much_. But instead, what left my mouth was a high-pitched, "Waaaaah! J-Jack-nii!"

I couldn't help it. I did kinda _scream_ the first few seconds Jack-nii started running. Of course, the situation was weird enough as is to begin with, so for the sake of not disturbing my caretaker any further, I tried to bury the shriek in his bandana. The scent of detergent and salt water was somewhat comforting, considering how many butterflies were starting to _mate_ in my stomach from all the motion, and I found myself closing my eyes in an attempt to calm down.

Don't get me wrong, I know Jack-nii's pretty fast on his feet _plus_ being capable enough to work with some of the toughest Vice Admirals of the Marines in general. But this was still a new place, I was riding on his back for the first time _ever_ , and need I remind you that I'm _motion-sick_?

So, I was essentially hiding my face in his bandana, trying to hang onto both him and my stomach while having _no_ clue of what was going on or where we were going.

Then I could hear yelling.

" _We need to get out of here!"_

" _It's Fire Fist Ace!"_

" _Fire Fist is here?!"_

" _WHO ELSE LIGHTS UP THE ENTIRE_ TOWN _, YOU NITWIT?!"_

"Of course," my caretaker muttered dryly under his breath, and once he was starting to skid to a slow stop, I was already feeling my lunch come up to my throat and swallowed what I could to keep it down. The name sounded familiar, but where…

 **Tomoko-chan, hold your head back and breathe if you have to. Keep the bile down.**

I took a deep breath through my nose as Jack-nii steadied himself, bouncing me softly. "Tomo-chan, you okay?"

"I-I'm surviving?" was the measly croak I could muster, but a thumbs-up in his direction seemed to do the trick, as Jack-nii lightly bounced me again, the sound of a smile coming up to his face if the amused snort was any indication.

"Hm? Then thank you for riding the Davy Jack Train, little lady. The fee will be one hug."

 **Hah.** Hisako said dryly. **Squeeze him.**

I ended up tightening the grip I had on his shoulders while burrowing into his bandana instead. Blame a girl whose stomach was _ridiculous_ when it came to almost ninja-like running speeds. That could also worsen if jostled any more than necessary. "Jack-nii, you're a _dork_."

"Hehe," he chuckled softly. "Love you too, sweetheart."

And then there was an explosion.

"What the—" Jack-nii didn't even have a chance to jump, probably because he was still holding onto me before I could feel something _really_ warm nearby and then there was more yelling.

" _Watch out!"_

There was definitely a lot of people passing us if the various stomping of _boots_ were any sign. " _He's here!"_

 **What the** _ **fuck**_ **is going on out there?!** Hisako snapped, adding an extra air slash of Oblivion for good measure. **And who is this "** _ **he**_ " **they're yelling about?!**

Jack-nii was already starting to tense himself, tightening his hold on my legs. "Oh no—"

" _HIKEN!"_

Hisako had officially lost it with that loud declaration, waving Oblivion around while taking on a death glare that would probably give _Kei_ a run for her money, at least a little bit. And the added heat from the environment, because apparently _fire_ was lighting some kind of fuse in my Nobody. **WHAT KIND OF ATTACK NAME IS** _ **FIRE FIST**_ **?! AND WHY WOULD YOU YELL IT OUT LIKE A RECKLESS MAN?! YOU SOUND LIKE** _ **GOKU**_ **ON A BAD DAY, DAMMIT!**

 _Ummmmm._ This was the first time in a while my Nobody yelled that loudly. Instead of responding to her, I looked up from my caretaker's bandana.

The sight was almost like carnage itself.

Fire was starting to blaze buildings only meters away from us, and if not for Jack-nii's grip on me and the _other_ person in the area, I would've run from the scene entirely. It was almost like a circle of blazing embers, the scene, and the person in the very center of it was shirtless, donning a large _tattoo_ on his back. The tattoo, even from over Jack-nii's shoulder, looked like it was _smiling_ at us with its curved white moustache as the man waved his hands, fire flickering off his shoulders almost harmlessly, and with the orange hat and short black ponytail, he looked strangely familiar—

 _Wait._

Hisako dropped Oblivion. **WAIT A GODDAMN SECOND. WE** _ **KNOW**_ **THAT TATTOO.**

The name was already leaving my lips in a yell before Jack-nii could even respond. " _A-Ace-nii_?!"

The man only whipped his head around to look at us, ponytail neatly slapping his neck while doing so, and the shocked _black_ eyes were already a dead-ringer for the man I knew as Leith-nee's special other. Plus the freckles and shorts. "Tomo?!"

"W-Wait a sec, sweetie," Jack-nii was starting to sputter helplessly while bouncing me up once, "You _know_ Ace?!"

"Ace-nii!" I found myself squealing while waving a hand at him, because _gosh_ it was nice to know that this was all being caused by a pyro I actually _knew_ and not someone else that could be potentially dangerous. "What are you doing here?"

"That's _my_ question!" was his loud yell back to us, before a quick fire plume from his right hand made him skyrocket in the air. A few seconds was all it took for him to land neatly near us, fire on his shoulders flickering out in the process. "Tomo, I thought you were back at the cafe!"

"Weird portal thing!" I answered instead, because there was no other way to describe my landing here. Unless you wanted to add "black hole," and then we'd have to factor astrophysics, and Vy had only _started_ a degree in General Biology before her death, so no luck on explaining that. "Jack-nii here's been taking care of me since!"

Ace-nii only brushed a hand through his ponytail to push it back behind his neck. "Huh!" Despite the confusion clearly showing in his stare, he still tipped his hat in greeting with his other hand, smiling. "It's still good to see you again, ojou-chan, Davy!"

My Marine caretaker was apparently caught between staring and gaping now, still holding onto me with one arm and the DSLR camera with the other. "Yep. This is a small world…" he muttered.

With a giggle, I reached over to boop Ace's nose as a reply. "It's good to see you too, Ace-nii! But where's Leith-nee? I thought she was with you!"

At the simple mention of my older sister-figure's name, the aptly nicknamed Fire Fist turned sheepish, rubbing the back of his head and rustling his hair. And, wait, was he _blushing_? "Somewhere."

"Yeah? Better question, Ace," Jack-nii interrupted with a dry clearing of his throat, " _Why_ are you here in Dressrossa? You realize this is the place where _Mister Mingo_ lives, right?"

 **Mister Mingo? Shouldn't it be** _ **Flamingo?**_

 _I think it's Doflamingo? Dueflamingo?_

My Nobody shrugged.

In the outside world, Ace-nii only started turning a darker red, looking as embarrassed as a man in his twenties could _afford_ to be. Instead of giving a proper response, he only mumbled a quiet "Uh," while tipping his hat forward to shade his eyes.

 **Better him than us,** Hisako muttered under her breath, hiding it with her long brown hair. **I would like to chew him out myself, but you like him, dear, and Davy's got it covered. I'm hoping.**

 _Um_.

I only glanced down at my caretaker's hat as Jack-nii continued to speak. Or, to be more exact, continue to _chew_ my other older brother out. "Ace, Dressrossa is _filled_ with my co-workers! Even if you're on good terms with me, you're still in danger here because of being part of the Whitebeard Pirates! Akainu could easily come here too, y'know!"

Yep. Jack-nii was getting angry.

Ace-nii was starting to shrink back as the embers around us flickered, uncertain.

 **Damage control?**

 _Damage control._

I tugged on the knot of my caretaker's bandana. "Jack-nii, calm down?" And to the Fire Fist, I just reached over as much as I could to pinch his nose. "And Ace-nii, you didn't answer my question! Where's Leith-nee?"

Thankfully, having a childish mindset to things seemed to do the trick, because my caretaker immediately stepped back to gently let me down onto my feet, Ace on the other hand taking on a small smile. "Leith's around here somewhere. I think beating up _someone_ …"

"And you both are here _because_?" Jack-nii asked, a bit more appeased now judging by his voice and the loosened grip on his camera.

"Reasons," Ace waved it off, smiling a bit wider, and I could've sworn he still looked embarrassed. "The flowers here are good for something. Don't tell Spoons I said that."

And then there was a swish of long white hair and past the Fire Fist's biceps, I could make out glowing _hazel_ eyes staring in a glare that I knew belonged to _one_ person alone. Oh dear.

 **Three, two, one…**

"Said _what_ , Ace?" was the following growl.

"Ah, _fu_ —" Ace-nii cut himself off as soon as my older sister figure whacked him on the head with her fist, and I tried not to wince as it became obvious that she _meant_ that punch. The lump on Ace-nii's head was obvious even _through_ his smushed hat. "Spoons, what the hell—!"

"YOU RAN OFF!" Leith-nee retorted loudly, and her stare darted to me for only a few seconds before turning back to Ace-nii, face already distorted in an expression caught between frustration and deadpan. If not for the dried flecks of blood on her face and the furrowing of her eyebrows, I would've just left the situation as is. Buuuuut my sister was angry, and gosh, this was kinda scary. "LEAVING _ME_ TO FIGHT OFF ALL THE MARINE BASTARDS! YOU COMPLETE _ASSHOLE_!"

Ace was already raising his hands in surrender. "C'mon, Spoons—"

"LANGUAGE, YOU TWO!" Jack-nii interrupted shrilly, already covering my ears to the point of muffling my hearing. I squawked in protest, but judging by his grip, he didn't want to let go anytime soon. All I could make out was my caretaker's voice. "And besides, I think you already handled the situation if the _burning_ buildings say anything?!"

I looked around, and sure enough, the fire had spread quite a bit. This specific street where the group was conglomerated was really the only place that the fire wasn't touching that much, probably because Ace-nii put a lid on his powers.

 **This is a** _ **glorious**_ **mess. NOT.**

"So, um," I squeaked instead. "Jack-nii? Leith-nee?"

My caretaker took his hands off my ears as soon as Leith turned to look at me, and the wrinkles on her forehead smoothed out as she smiled at me. "Hey there, squirt. It's been a while. Davy's been taking good care of you."

"I-it's good to see you too, Leith-nee, and he has," I said slowly, trying not to pout again, because really, "squirt" was starting to become something along the lines of "shrimp" for Edward Elric in my personal dictionary. "But I think Ace-nii was trying to find you or something? And it's just us around here, so you could ignore us?"

Yes, yes, I know. I _know_ that sounded like _complete bullshit_ , but I really wanted the arguing to stop and I didn't have to look behind me to realize that my caretaker really needed to take some photos for new bounties. He was holding onto his camera for the past few hours. Money _was_ hard to rack up for my caretaker in the photo department, apparently.

The Fire Fist turned almost as red as his own flames as Leith-nee promptly turned on him. "What's Tomo talking about, Ace?" And gosh, she was growling again. Instinctively, I reached over to clutch a bit of Jack-nii's jacket.

"Um, well," Ace-nii then sighed, shoulders slumping forward. "Now's a better time than any, since there's no one else around and I got what I needed from here."

I was not expecting him to get down on one knee.

 **What.**

Apparently, Leith-nee wasn't either, because she took a step back and gaped. "Wait, Ace…?"

Jack-nii was already smiling in my direction while raising his camera.

Ace-nii then rummaged in one of his many shorts' pockets, grunting before finding what he needed. With a soft tug, he was then brandishing a small, translucent box, holding nothing but a cushion and, and…

 **Oh — OH MY GOD.** Hisako gasped.

Small embers seemed to bounce off his shoulders as Ace-nii opened the lid of the box to show Leith-nee the contents. Inside was nothing more but that velvet cushion and a small sunflower _ring_. "Dressrossa's the only place that had this kind of flower." He chuckled, but I could tell from the gesture that he was nervous. "And Spoons, we've been together for a long time. And I know! The guys back on the ship have already called me out on this since I've been doing this since the near _fucking beginning_ , apparently," I didn't miss how Ace-nii glanced in my and Jack-nii's direction, mouthing a soft apology before turning back to my frozen older sister, "but I can't imagine a life without you. So, while we're in this town of flowers—"

"And flames," Jack-nii interrupted teasingly, pointing to the destruction around us for extra emphasis.

"And flames," Ace-nii copied, rolling his eyes before staring up at Leith-nee with an embarrassed yet expectant smile, "could I ask you to be my wife?"

Leith-nee only blinked, pink starting to flood her face. "A-Ace…"

The sunflower ring only shuddered in the wind as Ace-nii continued to smile.

"Will you marry me, Leith?" he reiterated gently.

Tears were already coming up to my older sister's hazel eyes as her only response was a shaky laugh. "Y-You're a _cheesy_ bastard, you know that?"

Ace-nii now was taking on an affronted face, the embers around him flickering again, uncertain. "I-Is that a yes?"

"You _asshole_ ," Leith-nee crowed, the sound of a sob already coming through her voice as she nodded furiously, jostling her black and white baseball-cap. "Of fucking _course_ it's a yes!"

Ace-nii didn't even have time to slip the ring on her finger before she was tackling him, and they were already kissing once they crashed down into the pavement.

 **Awwwwww.**

I didn't even have time to take in the scene before there was a flash of the DSLR camera and Jack-nii went on to cover my eyes in quick succession. "You two could do _without_ the Public Displays and Language in front of the kid, y'know!" he called loudly, but I could hear the smile in his voice. "Anyways, congrats!"

I couldn't help but be happy. Even when I couldn't see anything. "Congratulations, Ace-nii, Leith-nee!"

It was a good day.

The Marine newspapers were blaring about it for weeks afterwards.

"Fire Fist and Queen of Spades Finally Hitched!" was the headline.

The smiles on the happy couple's faces were something I knew I would never forget.


	6. Chapter 6: Smile for You

I-I still need to introduce this. The s-song for this, I mean. SAO's _Smile for You_. :')

* * *

I never did like crying. My nose would clog first, then the tears would blur my vision, and then I would have to hold back my voice because my heart wanted to wail. My mind could at least understand why tears were necessary, but that didn't mean I had to really _like_ it. Every time I started crying, it felt like I was becoming that college girl again. That college girl who had died watching her parents cry over her, unable to utter a single word of reassurance.

The tears almost always took me back to the darkness, and after spending who knows how much time in that white space before being reincarnated as the me I am now, darkness was not exactly welcomed.

I especially didn't like it when someone I knew found me crying.

Crying always felt like I was admitting to myself that I wasn't really the best I could be. The sensation reminded me that I failed in some way, and my heart just couldn't take anymore. Or it was just taking in the world, and how even after so many years of being _alive_ , I couldn't handle it. That's what it felt like.

Weakness like that, at least, in some part of my mind, meant that others shouldn't have to see it.

My friends deserved hugs and smiles. My parents deserved kisses and warm sayings of love.

They didn't need to see me cry.

And yet, someone always found me when I tried to cry alone.

Back at home, it would've been a mix of people. Mama and Papa, Sakumo-jichan, or even Kakashi when he wasn't training. Obito would be onto me faster than a speeding hedgehog, and don't get me started on Rin. Hayate almost always knew before the tears started, Wataru-jichan would immediately pull out the joke books, and Miyako-bachan was especially good at taking me to another room before offering her shoulder.

And Kei. Whenever I tried to hide, she always found me. No matter what.

It was probably why I shouldn't have been surprised that my first time crying in this new world at the sea had Jack-nii find me first.

He wasn't even surprised, only smiling as he approached my little corner. Even though I had curled up into the best little ball a ten-year-old could make, he still made sure to sit down criss-cross applesauce and open his arms in my direction.

"C'mere, Tomo," was all he said.

I don't even know what compelled me to obey. My voice was already betraying me with how the sobs were breaking through the lump in my throat, and my hands only shook as soon as I reached towards him. Once I was close enough, Jack-nii leaned over to rest his hands under my arms, lifting me up almost effortlessly before bringing me around to sit in his lap.

Even with the tears blurring my vision, I closed my eyes and leaned against his shoulder. Jack-nii only hummed, resting his cheek on top of my head in return as his right arm wound around my shoulders, squeezing. "I got you, Tomo." The voice was soft and warm as I tried to hold back more sobs. "I got you."

I brought my knees up to my chest and nodded, leaning into him and trying to breathe the scent of the sea that was my caretaker. "J-Jack-nii, I-I—" the sobs were still cutting through any words I was trying to make. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

He only continued to smile while shaking his head. "It's okay, Tomo." His hand squeezed my shoulders again. "It's okay."

Maybe, this time, I could believe it.

He was too warm and snuggly to refuse.


	7. Chapter 7: Finding Kei

_Note_ : The theme for this is ReoNa's Rea(s)on from _Sword Art Online Alternative: GGO_. Because it's a good song and the translated lyrics match the situation in my opinion. I don't own anything or anyone except Tomoko. Davy Jack belongs to unlucky-marine and Kei belongs to langwrites.

Also, I think it has to be said now that Seaside Sibling Train takes place in the timeskip between S&S Chapters 20 and 21, since Tomoko's 10, but some ninja are now 11. :p

Anyway! Please enjoy~!

* * *

"Explosions Around The Docks?"

Jack-nii was just as incredulous as I was when I recited the newspaper headline aloud from past his hand. Technically, I was reading the newspaper past all the piles of _paperwork_ flanking his arms as always on the desk, I mean. Once again, other Marines were freeloading on him, to my own annoyance. "Tomo-chan, you weren't supposed to read that."

…Well, he was annoyed for a different reason, anyways.

 **Tomoko-chan.**

 _I know, Hisako._

Outwardly, I tried not to pout. "I finished organizing all the photos you left for me, Jack-nii! I couldn't help it!"

I did not want to vocally admit I was bored, but I'll admit that I'm currently _bored_. Photography and paperwork can only drag on for so long until you can start to feel your soul sap away to all the words.

My Marine caretaker put a hand to his face, giving me a single, half-hearted look of annoyance through his fingers before he sighed and reached over with his other, free hand to pat my head. "It's not something you should be worried about, Tomo-chan. _I'm_ the one who has to deal with that later today, not you."

Uh.

Hisako only snorted, rolling her eyes while smiling wryly.

"…Does it help that I was curious?"

Jack-nii only hid a quiet snicker. "Maybe!"

I ended up pouting anyways. "Should I be worried?"

This time, the answer was a flat and deadpan, "No."

"Muu," I mumbled instead. That was a definite sign that I _needed_ to. Instead of voicing it, I ended up blurting out, "Is there anything else I can help you out with then, Nii?"

The nickname wasn't even on purpose. It only slipped out in a strangely cute, high-pitched voice that was in turn a byproduct of _boredom_ , so by the time it registered in my head, my face was already flooding with fire and Jack-nii was gaping at me. "T-Tomo-chan, did you just call me 'Nii'?"

 _Frig, I just called Jack-nii by_ Sora' _s nickname, and only Shiro has dibs on that,_ fuck _, what do I say—!_

 **Pfffffffft. Oh, Tomoko-chan…!**

 _Hisako, you're not helping!?_

"Um," Outwardly, I was starting to squeak now as I took a few steps back, already thinking about finding a corner. Even in my kimono dress, the room was starting to feel embarrassingly hot and humid. "I-I mean, Jack-nii, you _are_ like an older sibling to me, and Nii is a nice nickname, I think, um—" My voice was cracking. _Frig_. Hands, do _not_ sweat on me, please! I do not need to wash this dress again when it was just washed _this morning_. "You'vealwaystookgoodcareofme, especiallyforthesepastsixmonths, sothat'swhyyou'reNiitome—!?"

There was a very, _very_ long pause.

Jack-nii's Marine hat nearly fell off his head, only barely staying on by the back strap as his ahoge poked up from the top of his brown hair. "Tomo-chan…"

 _Um. Why is he not reacting. Say something,_ please _, like, "Don't say that!" or SOMETHING. I hate silence like this!_

Hisako was starting to cackle loudly, falling out of her armchair in the library while holding her stomach.

That's it. I needed to find a corner now.

Covering my face as best as I could with my hair, I turned on the heel of my sandals to face away from my caretaker while discreetly looking around for the darkest corner in the room. Thankfully, there was a nearby closet. With a locking mechanism built into the door. That would work. "Well, I'llshutupandgosulknow, sogoaheadandgetbacktowork, Jack-nii! IGNOREME."

I was already preparing my legs to run towards my new hiding spot when a chair was suddenly pushed back, and I could hear stomping behind me, like wha—

Big arms were already encircling my waist, and I tried not to squawk as soon as my feet had promptly left the ground. Yep. It was my caretaker. Being strong, tall, and _able to lift me up without any problem_. Aaaaaah. "Wooo! I caught a rogue Tomo-chan!" Jack-nii proceeded to cheer, and the heat was _still_ on apparently because I was already squeaking in protest.

"N-Niii—!"

 **HAHAHAHAHA!**

" _Awwww_ , Tomo-chan, don't be shy and hide!" My caretaker only proceeded to snuggle me, even with my squirming and all, and wait, _was he used to this?!_ "It's completely okay for you to call me 'Nii'! You _are_ my little sis, so why not?"

Even with the vocal reassurance, I still found myself sputtering from the embarrassment. Wiggling didn't do much to help, because my caretaker was still an _adult_ and I was a little kid trying to swivel around and face him properly. Aaaaaaah. Why couldn't I go into a dark corner and _sulk_ already? "B-But Jack-niiiiiiiii, it's weird!"

 _And taking from_ another _actual little girl who says the name so much better than me_.

"And it's _adorable_ , Tomo," he insisted with a large grin, apparently ignoring my current thought process with his reply, and gosh, when did he start swinging—

Surprised laughter was already leaving my lips as soon as my caretaker started spinning around in circles, still hugging me all the while. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, and soon enough, I could barely think on anything else because I was just trying to _hold_ _on_ and hug back. _Gosh,_ Jack-nii was strong. The Marine jacket really hid the muscles. "N-Niiiiiiiii! Q-Quit — _hahaha_ — _spinning_ me! I-I'm — _haha_ — getting dizzy!"

Aaaaaah. Pretty colors.

Hisako was positively _choking_ on her laughter now. She was enjoying herself too, I guess?

Jack-nii was _still_ laughing with that large grin of his when he finally stopped spinning and set me down on my feet, only going on to hug me even tighter. Eh? "I _love_ the name, Tomo, so you don't have to be embarrassed." From the closeness, I could feel his smile as the grip on me tightened. "I'll be happy to be your 'Nii.'"

 **Aw.**

For some reason, tears were pricking my eyes as I nodded. The scent of his bandana was comforting, and I was already burying my nose into it to take in the sea while squeezing back. "Muuu."

Jack-nii only snorted but hugged me tighter.

I ended up pouting childishly into his shoulder, because really, _how_ could I resist him. I love Jack-nii. Simple as that. "I'll still call you 'Nee' when you're feeling feminine, okay?"

Jack-nii snorted again, but there was something affectionate in the tone before he pulled away and pecked my forehead between my bangs. "Of course, sweetie. And thank you."

I tried not to flush red from the gesture and nodded anyways. "I-I love you, Jack-nii, so it's no problem!"

Jack-nii only pulled away a single _centimeter_ when I finished spreading all the apparent _cheese_ in the room before something sparked in his eyes and it resulted in more hugging. I could've sworn I even caught a small tear in his stare before he was snuggling me again, and baaaaaaah.

At this rate, I would be worried about him even _finishing_ work. Aaaaah.

Hisako never did stop laughing for quite a while.

* * *

The radio set crackled as the man adjusted the volume on his mic. "Are you all in position?"

"All set, Sensei."

"We're all clear here."

A pause followed before there was a dry drawl of, "Obito, don't start tearing up or something from the explosions, okay?"

Something bumped in the background. "OI! I-I have my goggles and eye drops! You don't have to remind me, Bakashi!"

Then there was a sigh over the speakers. "Boys, this is not the time to be butting heads. I don't like this place either, but we have the mission to worry about." Another sigh. "We need to find Tomo, then get back as soon as we can."

Rustling followed on another end. "Kei, let me know if you feel Tomoko-chan's chakra anywhere, okay?"

"Judai-jichan, I'm right next to you."

"Still, as extra insurance."

The man at the center of it all rolled his eyes with a soft chuckle. "Judai, stay on track and look after Kei and Obito for me, alright?"

"No need to tell me, Minato. I got it."

The mission was already a go.

* * *

"So, the explosions were around here… Hopefully nothing's going to happen, but knowing my luck…"

 **Tomoko-chan. Do something.** Hisako tapped Oblivion against the ground for extra emphasis. **We can't just walk in blind again.**

Oh dear. I decided to speak up via tugging on his sleeve. "Um, Jack-nii?"

My caretaker slowly loosened his grip on the closest cherry bomb on his belt before glancing down at me with a more hesitant smile. "What is it, Tomo?"

"What are we…" I gestured to the area around us, teeming with ocean and the occasional bits of trash, grimacing at the smell of bird poop. "What are we doing at the _docks_? Aren't these the same docks from the paper this morning?"

Jack-nii's smile turned a bit more forced as he nodded stiffly, adjusting the brim of his hat all the while. "Headquarters called for Marine investigation. Wendy's busy, and I dunno what the _he_ —heck!" I didn't miss how he cut himself off on cursing before smiling again a bit more naturally, "Leith is doing, but I can't exactly leave you alone back in your room now, can I, Tomo?"

Embarrassment was flooding me yet again. "Y-You didn't have to, Jack-nii, I could've waited back at the base for you."

My caretaker only smiled and blew a small teasing raspberry at me. "But you would worry and then do something reckless, wouldn't you? If not that, then _sulk_."

More heat was flooding my face, and I let go of his sleeve to pout again. Apparently, my childish instincts were even kicking in because I ended up stomping one of my sandals against the gravel. "Niiiiiii."

"Tomoooooo," he echoed back.

 **Pfffft. That's a loss, my dear.**

My Nobody was getting a penchant of _not_ helping at this rate. Darn it.

"Muuuuuuu!" I ended up saying finally, looking away to hide the red on my face. The white-pink lace of my kimono dress wouldn't help anything. "Nii, you _dork_."

Jack-nii snorted before his free hand landed on my head, patting it. "I love you too, sweetie," he cooed happily.

Of course he wasn't in Serious Mode yet. Or I just snapped him out of it. _Somehow_. What was I, a _cupcake_? How did he start loving me?

Hisako lightly tapped Oblivion against my shoulder. **Cinnamon Roll.**

… _What?_

 **Cinnamon Roll! You are a** _ **cinnamon roll**_ **, Tomoko-chan!**

 _HISAKO, YOU'RE NOT HELPING!_

I wasn't expecting my thoughts to be jolted at the sound of a distant _explosion_. In hindsight, I probably should've expected it, considering how _Ace-nii_ announced his presence before proposing to Leith-nee on that same day, but then again, we weren't in Dressrossa right now and we were near the ocean, so where the hell—

"Tomo-chan, _get behind me_." Jack-nii was already pulling out one of Marcy-nii's homemade cherry bombs, and I could already feel a lump surfacing in my throat at the _steel_ in his voice as I nodded vigorously, ducking behind his hand to instead hide behind his jacket. The Marine hat on his head seemed tighter somehow with the angle and his taking a defensive stance. I didn't miss how he was also starting to crouch, like he was about to break out into a run any minute now. "Just let me know if there's anyone around you who looks dangerous, okay?"

A part of me was wondering _how_ he could still sound so comforting in my direction. "O-Okay, Nii," I said instead, because there really wasn't much else to say to that.

In a world filled with Marines, pirates, and _guns,_ self-defense could only go so far.

BOOM, went another explosion in the distance, this one sounding _closer_ than the one from before.

Hisako was already readying Oblivion. **Tomoko-chan, deep breaths. Deep breaths.**

I found myself gripping the hem of my caretaker's Marine jacket while inhaling as much air as I could. Both out of comfort and for something to hang onto.

Jack-nii swiveled his head around a few more times. "Where are they—"

Another BOOM.

I couldn't help the loud squeal of shock leaving my lips at the sound of screams in the distance, and Jack-nii was tensing as soon as _fire_ started shooting up from a nearby warehouse. "Wh-what the—"

And then I could hear yelling. Very _familiar_ yelling.

"TOMO-CHAN, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Hisako nearly dropped her Keyblade. **What.**

My heart could've stopped.

Instead of saying something aloud, I poked my other Self. _Hisako?_

My Nobody answered almost immediately. **What is it, dear?**

 _I wasn't the only one who heard that, right? Right?!_

My heart was beating hard now.

Hisako immediately shook her head, long brown hair nearly slapping her cheeks in the process as her glasses slipped down to the bridge of her nose. **It wasn't just you, Tomoko-chan. I heard it too.**

 _Then…then…_

The idea had already latched onto my mind as the fire burned in the distance.

Jack-nii was completely at a loss for words in the outside world, though. "What the heck…?" Around us, other Marines were running, trying to get out of the way of the fire, but I found my feet frozen.

 _It can't be… can it?_

Then I heard another voice. A voice _much_ closer than any other explosion today.

" _HISSATSU: RAPID STORM!"_

Even though my caretaker was tensing from all the chaos, I already knew _who_ was yelling.

The name was almost like sawdust on my lips. How did they even get _here_?

"Papa…?"

Jack-nii was already swerving his head to look at me in disbelief. " _Papa_?" he echoed.

There was another close BOOM with the end of that remark, and then I was seeing someone fly out of the smoke. Technically _leap_ , but as soon as my eyes landed on a blue Konoha _hitai-ite_ and the gleam of a kodachi sword, my jaw dropped.

"KEI?!"

I couldn't even make out Jack-nii's shocked sputtering.

It didn't even take that long for the mystery person to land a few meters away from us, crouching in a way akin to the old action movies, and once the sudden wind and smoke started to clear, I was making out a white-blue hooded jacket and messy black cowlicks that I wouldn't see on _anyone else._

Tears were already filling my eyes as soon as the person raised their head from looking down at their knee.

It had been 6-7 months, but she was still Explosive As Ever, apparently. Even when I was gone…

I slowly let go of the back of Jack-nii's jacket to peer past my caretaker's arm. "Kei?" I said again, my voice cracking. "I-Is that you?"

My reincarnation buddy, my _bestest friend_ in the entire world, only stared at me with wide black eyes as her mouth took on a surprised "o." Whether it was the reunion that was going on or the carnage around us, I wasn't sure. But those black eyes and _eyebags_ were definitely dead-ringers for Kei. "T…" the syllable was almost silent on her end as she continued to gape. "To…"

I wasn't even aware something else exploded nearby until shrapnel was flying everywhere and Jack-nii was covering me in a protective hug. Even when squeaking, he didn't let go until the smoke had cleared, leaving me to breathe in the scent of salt water from his jacket for quite a while.

 **WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE?!** Hisako demanded angrily in my place.

For once, I didn't have an answer until Jack-nii slowly let go of me, and once my eyes could adjust to the fading grey smoke and the newly _trashed_ dock area, I could make out a head of _two-toned_ brown hair.

The tears were spilling over now because there was only _one_ person I knew who had hair like that. And the old navy blue ninja headband.

" _P-Papa_?!"

 **Oh.** Hisako said quietly, lowering Oblivion.

Papa was already on his feet as soon as my voice echoed in the sky, and I didn't even have a second to move before there was wind and he was standing in front of me. His eyes were glowing a dark red-orange and green, but they were already starting to fade for a tired yellow as he fell to his knees, his hands reaching out to cup my cheeks. The gesture made me feel like I was a doll he hadn't seen in _years_. His palms were rough with calluses and perhaps some dirt, but they were still _Papa's_ hands. "H-Hime…" he breathed a soft and broken laugh as soon as he was making eye contact with me, my tears already starting to fall onto his fingers. "Hime."

"Papa…!" Joy was filling my heart and flooding my veins with cheese and probably every other single warm emotion in the world, but I couldn't find it in myself to move. All I could do was smile as widely as I could as my nose started to clog. It was like I was experiencing the joy of seeing Ace-nii propose to Leith-nee all over again, only _better_. "I-It's you, Papa, right? It's really you, Papa?"

He was nodding vigorously as the tired yellow in his eyes quickly faded for happy brown, a bright grin on his face. "It's me, sweetie, it's me." And then I was being squeezed in another hug as something musty wafted through my snot-clogged nostrils. Even if my ribs were creaking from the grip, it was hard to miss the water droplets falling onto the top of my hair. Oh goodness. "Tomoko-chan…!" Papa choked above my head. "We found you, hime…!"

I was gone for way too long.

My vision was promptly shot too as I buried my nose into the shoulder of his green flak jacket. "I-I missed you too, Papa! I missed you too!"

I wasn't even sure where Jack-nii was now, but soon another pair of arms was joining into the hug, and then I could smell a bit of ink and mochi.

"You _doof_ ," Kei muttered angrily, but the messy black hair brushing my cheek was nothing to laugh at. She was here too. The heat wasn't even in her words anymore as her chin bumped the side of my head. "Where have you _been_ , Tomo? All the way out here?"

"S-Something like that," but I was laughing, and it was the first time in a while that I felt _free_ , "But I found you all again, didn't I?"

Kei only snorted in disbelief but tightened the now apparent group hug as soon as Papa started brushing through my hair with a hand. "Yeah, right. It's more like we found _you_ , Tomo-chan."

Hisako was smiling. **She's right, y'know.**

The first sob was leaving my lips now in a happy choking noise, but I didn't want to break down _completely_ because my loved ones were _here,_ and I still needed to address Jack-nii in the area. "I-I'm sorry for missing so much. B-But I'm okay, and I'm here!"

Kei snorted again, but there was a hiccupy quality to it this time as the grip on me loosened, probably for the sake of giving breathing space. "Go on, Tomo. Judai-jichan could probably use a better explanation than you getting _kidnapped_."

I could vaguely hear the clatter of books falling to the ground in my head. **Oh,** _ **fuck**_ **.**

Even in all the emotions rolling through me, my mind still had enough coherence to squeak in protest. "I got here by black hole thingy!"

Papa and Kei were now pulling away from me to stare in disbelief.

"Um," I said, because there was still fire in the distance from explosions, and now I could vaguely hear a loud yell of my nickname. Again. "Portal thingy?"

And whoop-de-doo, another second was all it took for another friend to barrel into me. I didn't have to look up to know it was another member of Team Minato, but once goggles were digging into the shoulder of my kimono dress, I already could guess. "H-Hi, Obi."

My Uchiha friend only let out a muffled cheer, lifting me up high before spinning around, and I had to hold back teary giggles. "We found you, Tomo-chan!" was the happy yell in my ear. "We finally found you!"

I politely didn't mention his wiping his eyes with his jacket sleeves to instead hug back by winding my arms around his neck. "Missed you too, Obi. Missed you too."

He cheered again, but I could already tell that there was a slight hiccup in the noise as he put me down, grinning. "You're worse than _Kei_ when it comes to trouble, Tomo-chan! Seriously, you've been _here_ for the past few months?!" Obito then glanced around the docks before turning back to me with a teary eye and a loud and dry remark of, "This place _sucks!_ "

"You all _did_ kinda burn the place," I pointed out, trying not to pout and/or deadpan from the exasperation of getting indirectly burned because the lump in my throat was still there and all. "Explosions?"

The Uchiha only jumped with a loud shout of protest. "HEY! That was Kei!" Obito then fumbled with his hands.

My reincarnation buddy, even when a few centimeters away, still had enough energy to look indignant. The eyebags helped her case a lot. "Don't put all the blame on me."

Nearby, I could see Papa put a finger to his ear. He was muttering something, but I couldn't make it out because Obito was hugging me again, aaaaaah. "Tomo-chan…!"

Goodness, he was going to cry soon.

I patted his head, holding back the urge to smile. To think I missed this. "I love you too, Obi. Thank you for coming and finding me."

He jolted for a single second before squeezing tighter, and I tried not to squawk because _ribs_. "Tomo-chan, you're a _doofus_!"

"A-And you're making it hard to b-breathe!" I choked out instead, because gosh, my ribs were creaking more now. How many hugs could I take at this rate? Ninja were _strong_. "Obito!"

Kei was definitely laughing now as soon as Obito squawked too and let go.

A long second of silence passed before Papa turned back to me with a more hesitant smile. "So, hime?"

I wiped my tears away with my kimono sleeve, both because I didn't have a tissue on me and the nearby smoke was hard to inhale. "Y-Yeah, Papa?"

He then pointed behind me with his tanto, and the horror only hit as soon as his eyes flashed red-orange and green again. "Think you could explain the person standing behind you there? With the hat?"

I glanced behind me, only to see Jack-nii wave at me happily, apparently not _minding_ Kei and Obito's now combined glares in his direction.

 **Goddammit, Jack.** Hisako muttered.

I tried not to blanch as soon as there was another WHOOSH of air. "Are we late?" said the newly arrived Minato-san. Another hand was then resting on my head, and I looked up only to see _Kakashi_ give me an eye-smile of all things before looking forward, and once I followed his stare and landed on Jack-nii again, my heart was the next thing to fly out of my ribs.

Oh no.

"Not really, Minato, no," Papa said testily, still pointing his tanto in Jack-nii's direction. I didn't miss how he extended his chakra to make said tanto into a large and threatening _chakra blade_. "Just in time for interrogations!"

Meep.

"I'm alright with that, Judai-jichan," Kakashi added quietly, his hand _still_ resting on top of my head.

 **Jack's gonna die.**

 _I don't want him to die._

 **Do something.**

 _On it_.

I raised one of my hands and added a soft, "Um, Jack-nii over there took care of me? For the past 6-7 months?"

Kei was the first one to swivel her head back and stare at me incredulously. "What."

"Eh? You don't believe me?"

Obito shook his head at the same time Kakashi said, "Not even a bit."

Jack-nii only grinned, crossing his arms behind his head nonchalantly. "I _knew_ I would like you people!"

 **GODDAMMIT, JACK.**


	8. Chapter 8: Sleepy Tomo

The theme this time is joshagarrado's piano cover of _Fude Pen, Ballpoint Pen_ from K-On. Or, as the literal translation puts it, "Brush and Ballpoint Pen."

Please enjoy, as short as this little update is. :) Roughly inspired by this morning, where I overslept and Lang's usual spam messages helped me wake up.

* * *

"Tomo-chan?"

"…"

Kei tried again, grinning. "Tomo-chaaaaan?"

The girl only stirred and blinked. Slowly and blearily too. Her hands were the only indication that she heard her name being called, having twitched from their sitting in the folds of her white and pink kimono skirt. Then she raised her head from leaning against the nearby wall to look around, blue eyes fuzzy-looking and a bit of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth. " _Fweeeeeh_? Kei?"

Obito was hiding laughter right across the hallway while rocking back and forth in his seat.

And to think this same girl was nearly crying a storm when the squad finally found her only a few hours ago.

Kei held back a small snicker too, shouldering her kodachi on her left arm. Seven months had nothing on this. "Tomo-chan, you _sleepyhead_." Instead of answering the unspoken question in her friend's sleepy stare, she went on to poke the civilian's cheek with her right hand while hiding a smile. "You awake yet?"

"…Muh?" The drool was still sticking at the corner of the civilian's mouth as she gaped, still out of it to not give a proper answer. Kei only had to wait a few more seconds before Tomoko said a small and tiny "Ah," blinking before her chakra shifted. With a bit more sparkle in her eyes, she then looked up at Kei with a smile. "Good morning, Kei-chan."

 **Hah,** the Dreamer went dryly. **She's still drooling.**

 _Shush._

"Tomo-chan, it's _afternoon_. I don't know what morning you're talking about." Still, Kei was smiling widely while reaching over to bring her friend into a side-hug. She missed this. Seven months was too much time. "Glad to see you're still with us."

"Why—" the sentence was cut off with a petite, high-pitched yawn. "Why wouldn't I be with you?"

Despite the innocence of the statement, Kei held back a wince as Obito immediately shook his head vigorously, fists clenching against the fabric of his seat. She could _still_ make out Judai-jichan and Sensei's almost combined chakra signatures in the other room, conversing with that one stranger that Tomoko still called, "Nii," for some oddball reason.

Urgh.

Kei decided that she already hated portals, just for taking away her best friend. Or black holes in general, as cool as the concept originally sounded back in the old days.

 **At least she's alright. That's all we can ask for.** The Dreamer said quietly.

Kei didn't want to take any more chances. That Davy guy was already suspicious.

"Ah," Tomoko said again, clearer this time judging by the slight octave up in volume, before leaning into Kei's side, hair ribbon limp against her right cheek. "I'm sorry. That was too soon."

"Tell me about it," Kakashi grumbled nearby, standing guard near the meeting door while cleaning a kunai.

For once, Kei didn't feel the need to retort back at him. Kakashi summed up Team Minato's feelings on this whole situation pretty well.

No one was supposed to take their friend away, _ever_.

Still, Tomoko yawned again, sounding a little like a cat before snuggling closer into Kei's hug with a content smile. "I missed you guys."

Kei exhaled slowly to release any internal frustration before resting her cheek on the top of her friend's head, squeezing Tomoko's shoulders in return. She couldn't even find it in herself to care that the civilian was still sleepy and close to drooling again in another nap. Emotional exhaustion was a real thing. "We missed you too, Tomo," she admitted honestly. "We missed you too."

Tomoko's eyes slowly fluttered closed again with the statement, and once her head lolled on Kei's right shoulder, she heard it.

"Love you too, Kei."

Kei held back an exasperated smile to tighten the hug.

All the team had to do now was wait.


	9. Chapter 9: Dorky Guardians

Because Eli gave me ideas. :p The themes for this chapter are (1) ShadyVox's cover of Yu-Gi-Oh! Season Zero's _Kawaita Sakebi_ and (2) AmaLee's cover of _Golden Time Lover_ from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.

Please enjoy~!

* * *

"…"

"…"

Judai finally sighed, ignoring the urge to roll his eyes while breaking the tense silence that made up the current situation. Minato's light glare mixed with killing intent in Davy's direction was doing nothing to help. And this was just another reason why he originally _retired_ in the first place. "We're not getting anywhere, so Minato, _stop_ glaring. We have a mission we need to finish."

The Jounin only turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "This coming from the man who was previously _hellbent_ on destroying everything if it meant finding his daughter?"

Judai shook his head, ignoring how cold his headband felt against his skin. This was, again, why he _goddamn retired_. "That was _then_ , and now my hime's safe with your kids. We need to hear out the rest of the story, at least."

Minato stared at him for a single moment before nodding curtly and discreetly letting go of his closest Thunder God kunai. Judai wasn't one to talk, considering his tanto was in close range for him to grab himself, but considering that the person across from them both was only staring at them with a raised eyebrow and an expression that shared no panic whatsoever in _spite_ of the previous killing intent, this wasn't the best way to start things.

This entire conversation needed to start over.

"So," Judai continued, trying not to sound frustrated and tired. "From what you said earlier—"

"Uh-huh," Davy droned flatly, arms crossed against his chest.

Judai held back the urge to pinch his arm and instead said, "For these past seven months, you've been taking care of my daughter and I'm just supposed to believe that."

Every single alarm bell was already going off when Tomoko-chan was in tears at just seeing him again, but it didn't help that she was _defending_ this guy when the idea of interrogation was even _suggested_.

" _P-Papa, please don't hurt Nii! He really did take care of me for these past few months, so he's not a bad person!"_

Still, even with his daughter's reassurances, Judai couldn't help but be suspicious. There had been nice people before, and he _still_ remembered the first time he was knocked out by one of said "nice" people since opening Nagareboshi Cafe. Hell, he _still_ considered himself lucky that his instincts were able to get him back home to Hikari that day.

Perhaps it was paranoia gnawing at him, but living the past seven months _worrying_ about his daughter's whereabouts gave him a good excuse.

Davy still gave him an unimpressed stare before deadpanning a loud, "Yes, because I'm not a monster."

Even with the eyebrow raising on his head, Judai hid it with a quiet tap of his sandal and a cough. "Huh." He also ignored the urge to grab the handle of his tanto sword. "And it really was a 'portal thingy,' as Tomoko-chan put it?"

Minato snickered under his breath, but a quick glance in his direction made him quiet down.

Davy only shrugged his shoulders, but his eyebrows relaxed against his forehead with the gesture. "Not sure what the fuck it was," he continued in the same deadpan tone, "just that a little kid needed looking after." Judai was not expecting him to uncross his arms and stand up straighter with a more serious smile. "If you need proof that I _have_ childcare experience, I have pictures. Tomo-chan's not the only kid I've been taking care of."

Minato chose to interject with a polite and somewhat shocked, "Pardon?"

Before Judai could even say anything else, photos were already being pulled out and brandished in his direction, and because of there being so many, it was hard to take in each individual image at once. He could at least make out that each picture was in high-definition from a well-off DSLR camera that only some cameramen in Konoha could have, and that they were all _intimate._ Uh. "I have three little brothers and a little sister, and they're little monsters, but aren't they _cute_?"

And now Davy was starting to _coo_.

Uhhhhhh.

Judai was left staring.

"This one here," Davy pointed at one of the pictures sitting in the middle of the pile, showing a tired and smiling woman cradling a baby to her chest, "that's my mom, Davy Marie, just after she gave birth to the angel Ruth who's sleeping there." As if not even _noticing_ Judai's fish-like expression, Davy went on to pull out more pictures, grinning like it was his birthday. "Here, I can show you their pictures from Halloween last year—"

"Oi, oi, OI!" Judai yelped finally, because _gosh_ did all the paranoia fly away in a flash. And what was _Halloween_? "I get the point!"

Minato was still staring at all the pictures, but now with some kind of fond look in his eye. If Judai didn't know any better, it was as if the Jounin was close to "awwww"-ing at some of them. Then again, the kids _were_ cute.

Judai finally sighed once Davy gave him a questioning look. "Yep. That's enough proof for me." His heart felt heavy now, because _sheesh_ was this guy a dork. Judai could've sworn Davy was made from the same fibers as _himself_. More so considering his own adoration of Tomoko-chan. Thanks were in order at this rate, because _man_ did this whole thing start off on the wrong foot. Judai made sure to bow his head. "Thanks for not minding my hime and taking care of her for so long."

Minato was already staring at him with a surprised look in his eye as soon as Davy started fumbling to put away all the photos in his hands. "Judai, you—" Minato was stumbling himself, apparently. "You _believe_ him?"

"Hey," Judai shrugged while finally putting away the urge to pull out his tanto. This time, he knew that there wasn't any danger. Just a _really weird_ situation considering the portal that made Tomoko-chan disappear in the first place. "When someone brings out pictures like _that_ , it's hard to keep up pretenses, Minato. This guy," accentuated with a thumb in Davy's direction, just because, "is a dork."

"And _proud_ of it," Davy added dryly, before interjecting with a protesting, "Why would I mind _her_ anyways?! Tomo-chan is an _angel_!"

That settled it. Judai found himself chuckling. Tomoko-chan really was in good hands for these past seven months. "You saying that about my hime already makes a good mark in my book."

Davy was now smirking back at him. "I have pictures of Tomo-chan too, if you want to see?"

"Oh, _definitely_."

Minato just stared between the two of them before loosening his shoulders with an exasperated shrug. Then there was a small mutter of, "Is this what fatherhood looks like?"

The Jounin's only answer was a loud, and in unison, " **Yes** ," from the other two people in the room.

Minato sighed with a wry smile.

* * *

Kei blinked as soon as the meeting room door opened. Judai-jichan and Minato-sensei were the first ones to come out, smiling too, and she couldn't help but feel a tad confused. More so when the suspicious guy from earlier, Davy was the name, came out walking _with_ them, grinning.

Thankfully, the noise from the door creaking open didn't wake Tomo-chan up, the civilian mumbling something sleepily before snuggling closer into Kei's side all the while.

Kakashi only glanced at the older group once before saying, "Sensei?"

In response, Minato only met Kakashi's questioning stare with a wry smile. "It's fine, Kakashi. Davy-san's not dangerous."

"…You don't say," Kakashi replied, his tone already betraying his suspicion.

"Are you _sure_ about that, Sensei!" Obito interjected loudly with a raising of his hand, and Kei was already glancing at Tomoko to make sure she didn't wake up before gesturing at the Uchiha with a frown. Thankfully, Obito noticed the gesture and lowered his voice accordingly when speaking up again. "Tomo-chan _was_ gone for seven months, y'know!"

"And it's _fine,_ Obito," Judai-jichan interrupted coolly with a hand of his own, "Davy's safe. I can guarantee that."

"Because I'm _not_ a monster?" said Davy dryly.

"Yep."

Obito wasn't looking all that convinced either. "But—"

And then Obito was ignored since all the adults were now staring in _Kei's_ direction, and she stilled as soon as Tomoko started to stir again.

 _Uh-oh._

Wait. The adults weren't looking at _Kei_ …

 **Uh,** said the Dreamer, just as confused.

" _Muuuu_ , too earlyyyyyy… Keiiiii, lemme sleep for a few more minutes…" Tomo went on to snuggle closer into Kei's right side, arm reaching over to hug her waist and barely dodging the kodachi still resting against Kei's left shoulder before continuing to snooze away.

 _Welp._ Kei held back a sigh. She wouldn't be able to feel her right arm at this rate. Not to mention the black hair tickling her cheek. This was like being with Hayate all over again. No use in complaining now, considering her new "pillow" status. "Tomo, it's not me…"

Kei then vaguely heard something along the lines of a soft, " _Ohmigod_ ," before Davy stood straight up, took out a _camera_ of all things, and slowly aimed the lens in Kei's direction. Before Kei could even say anything, there was a small FLASH of light to signify the taking of a picture, then Davy lowered the device in his hands to smile. The hell? "So _cute_ ," he mouthed happily, letting go of his camera to let it dangle against his neck, his grin now more goofy-looking. "Judai?"

"Yeah, bruh?" Judai-jichan was smirking.

"Give me a minute. I need to recover my heart," Davy said, and then Kei only watched in dull surprise as the guy proceeded to _run_ off in the other direction of the hallway, apparently cooing something unintelligible in the fading dust clouds.

Okay then.

"…The hell was _that_?" Obito said finally in disbelief.

"Don't ask me," muttered Kakashi in what sounded like exasperated defeat, having gone back to cleaning a kunai.

Sensei only laughed as Judai started a slow power walk in the direction where Davy sped off, yelling, "Make copies of that, will ya?" as quietly as he could.

"Huh," Kei concluded dryly. "That was a thing."

Tomoko was _still_ asleep against her shoulder, drooling a bit obliviously.


	10. Chapter 10: Mr Hat

The theme for this is _Melody Town_ from Kirby's Epic Yarn. Please enjoy~! (＾▽＾)

* * *

 _Staaaaaaare_.

…

 _Staaaaaaaaaare_.

…

I couldn't help but be fixated on it.

The object in question was left sitting on Jack-nii's desk, amidst a surprising, well, _dwindling_ pile of paperwork, and Jack-nii himself had left the room to pick up a stapler. Or extra stamp ink. At this point, I wasn't sure.

I just couldn't help but keep staring at Jack-nii's hat.

From a first glance, it was just like any other Marine hat that one could find in this massive Navy-like base. White baseball cap, Marine logo on its front, and the stripes across its head. The stripes though, were red in contrast to the common blue, and there was one other thing that made it stand out.

When Jack-nii got particularly vocal or emotional about something, the words on his hat would _change_ to reflect it.

" _FUCK,"_ it said once when Jack-nii was close to getting chewed out by someone.

Then it was a big " _NO!"_ when I nearly (and accidentally, by the way) got caught up in a fight that would've ended ugly.

When he was definitely tired, his hat would add a small and almost scrawled, " _SLEEPY…"_ to accentuate the situation.

And when Jack-nii was specifically happy, whether with friends like Wendy-nee or Smoker-san, or…when he was looking at me for some reason, the " _MARINE"_ lettering would instead change into a big blue heart.

It was different to see him _not_ wear said magical hat in the base for once. Not that I didn't see his hair before, I did see it a bunch of times when he took it off for meal breaks and affectionate moments. It just was strange for me to see him _leave_ it on his desk and not take it with him considering the other Marines wearing their hats almost _constantly_.

He could've forgotten it, but I don't know…

Oh. And. Um. Don't ask about the affectionate moments, he just gets _really_ cuddly when he's free from work, okay? And I…kinda became his secretary/little sister figure no thanks to long Marine-work hours, so it was something.

Um. Why are you staring at me like that?

…

Okay, okay, I enjoy Jack-nii's hugs too. Kei, Leith-nee, and Wendy-nee were all snuggly in their own rights, but there was something about Jack-nii picking you up _constantly_ that made the gesture sweet.

Ahem.

Anywho.

I couldn't help but stare at his hat when he was gone. It was still saying " _MARINE"_ in bright black letters against the blue background on its front, but the curiosity was tugging at me.

The hat wasn't made of chakra fibers to really respond to anything, but what if…

My voice came out in a soft whisper. "Hi, Mr. Hat."

There was a long pause. When a few minutes had passed, I was seriously wondering if I had lost my mind before the hat seemed to _twitch_.

Hisako blinked. **Er.**

I blinked too. "Mr. Hat?"

The large " _MARINE"_ lettering on the hat immediately changed to a big " _HELLO."_

Hisako nearly fell out of her armchair, gaping like a fish out of water. **Ohmigod. The hat is** _ **alive**_ **.**

I found myself tugging on my kimono sleeves, both as a comforting gesture and out of habit. Even if it was nice to get a reply, I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. After all, I only talked to other, _living_ people. Not a hat. My voice still came out in a soft whisper. "You can hear me, Mr. Hat?"

" _HELLO"_ immediately changed to " _YES."_

 **Tomoko-chan,** _ **why**_ **are you talking with the Hat?**

 _Because it's a nice hat?_

Hisako stared at me in clear apprehension and disbelief. Then, she said, **Tomoko-chan, dear, I love you. But,** _ **really**_ **?**

Yes? _It's a nice hat!_

A mental facepalm echoed in the library. **You doofus.** My Nobody didn't put any heat in the words, though.

I still ended up leaning in from my position of standing near Jack-nii's desk to stare at the hat some more, a little smile tugging on my lips. It _was_ rather silly, and probably looked weird to any Marine walking past Jack-nii's office, but to me, this Hat knew Jack-nii far longer than I ever did. It deserved some respect. As strange as the scene made it look. "Well. It's nice to talk to you for real, Mr. Hat."

The words from before immediately changed to show a bright blue heart and an exclamation mark.

"I like you too," I said honestly to the Hat, trying not to squee at the little gesture it just made. "Is Jack-nii good to you?"

There was a shorter pause before the image on the hat's front changed to form a single, " _YES…?"_

A giggle was already leaving my throat. "He tries. I know he does. And I think you know that too…?"

The hat's front changed again. " _YES."_

I covered my mouth with my hand because goodness, this was silly, but I felt like a _kid_ again, never mind the fact that I physically _was_ a kid again.

It felt like I was talking with Hayate. It was that kind of warm and fuzzy feeling.

"Neh, Mr. Hat?"

The hat's front then changed to show a single question mark. It was curious. Okay.

"If…" the words tugged at my tongue, but my throat was starting to feel dry. "If I ever go back home, could you look after Jack-nii for me? Please?"

The hat's front was displaying a soft " _...?"_ throughout my prompting before finally changing to a single " _WHY?"_

"I worry," I said to it, trying not to shrink into myself from the shame. It was the truth, but it still felt a bit painful to _admit_ it. "I don't know when I'll get home, but knowing my friends and family, they'll _want_ me back home. And I love Jack-nii a lot, and I don't want to leave him _alone_ , but I won't be here forever…"

 **Tomoko-chan…** Hisako then hugged me, squeezing me tight enough to nearly make me squeak in protest if not for the fact that it was _Hisako_ and I needed this.

She knew better than anyone else about how much I missed Konoha. How much I missed Mama and Papa, Sakumo-jichan, Wataru-jichan and Miyako-bachan, and Obi, and Ricchan, and Kashi.

Hisako knew how much I missed Hayate and Kei.

" _OH…"_ the hat said. Then it twitched again.

I tilted my head at it as the words started to shift on its front, more slowly this time. "Mr. Hat?"

"…" was the only display I got for a few seconds before it started showing something else.

My heart leapt up in my chest as I sucked in a breath.

" _IT'S OKAY."_

The nickname left me in a small, almost choked whisper. "Mr. Hat…"

Mr. Hat only twitched as the words shifted once more. " _I'M HERE."_ One second. " _JACK."_ Another second. " _WILL_." And then another second. " _BE OKAY."_

I inhaled again. Maybe I was hallucinating, or lacking sleep. But the hat had spoken, and I needed to answer. "Okay," I said, because now the weight on my heart felt lighter and it was all thanks to Mr. Hat. I didn't want to leave Jack-nii alone with his work if I ever went home, but it felt different now.

If I ever _did_ get to go home, this hat had my back. My caretaker had someone. Or something.

Mr. Hat was Mr. Hat.

"Thank you, Mr. Hat," I found myself saying, and even with the familiar heat of embarrassment flooding my cheeks, I still said it with a warm smile on my face. "I love you, Mr. Hat."

I didn't even have to wait a single second this time before the words changed to a big, " _LOVE YOU TOO."_

Yep. I gave into the urge of hugging and slowly picked up the hat from the table to cuddle close to my chest. I barely made out the now _red_ heart it was displaying towards me, but once the first tear had dripped down onto the hat's brim, I was smiling so much to the point where my cheeks were starting to hurt.

"Thank you, Mr. Hat. Thank you."

Jack-nii showed up about 10 minutes later. Almost jumpy ahoge and all.

"Tomo-chan? Have you seen my hat?"

I was already seated back at my little secretary desk, glancing over his finished and stamped papers before pointing. And doing my best to avoid accidentally swatting some paperwork with my kimono sleeves. "Mr. Hat's on your desk, Jack-nii."

There was a snort before I heard the sound of footsteps, accompanied by a hand gently landing on top of my hair. "Did you just call my hat ' _Mr. Hat_ ,' Tomo-chan?"

"Mr. Hat's Mr. Hat." I said, trying not to look up at him, because I knew he was wearing a shit-eating grin. The heat was still flooding my face, and I did not want to give away the fact that I had nearly _cried_ over said hat only 10 minutes ago. "It's your hat, so I call it Mr. Hat."

Jack-nii only chuckled before his hand slid down my head, and I wasn't expecting it to brush back my bangs. "You sweetheart." A second was all I had to register the feeling of a warm kiss being pressed to the top of my forehead, and _aaaaaah_ , what brought that on? "Giving my hat a name."

"Mr. Hat's Mr. Hat!" I insisted, trying not to pout because now all paperwork was going to be ignored at this rate. Darn it, embarrassment! "It's a good hat!"

Jack-nii was clearly wearing the dopiest grin in existence while returning my defiant stare. "Alright, Tomo-chan, alright." He pecked my forehead again. "What were you up to when I was gone?"

Now I was pouting. Out of some kind of childish instinct, I crossed my arms, puffed my cheeks, and looked away. "Nothing."

"Hmmmm? Really?" Jack-nii was teasing now.

"Really, I did _nothing!_ "

Maybe if I had looked, I would've seen the small red heart on Mr. Hat's front nearby.

* * *

A single hand poked my cheek. "Tomo?"

"Hm?"

All that greeted me was a deadpan face. "We _really_ need to get you to therapy at this rate."

I tried not to gape. "…You don't believe me?"

"Why would you go talking to a _hat_ , Tomo?"

"It's a good hat, Kei!"

My reincarnation buddy only gave me an unimpressed stare, crossing her arms against her chest. " _And_?"

Um.

"…It reminded me of Hayate?"

Kei only sighed a long, deep sigh before bringing me into another side-hug, the ends of messy cowlicks brushing the top of my head. "We _really_ need to not let you out of our sight at this rate."


	11. Chapter 11: Gold

_Note_ : Written to help combat the feels I got from the recent chapter of Shell Game. I don't own anyone or anything except Tomoko. Davy belongs to unlucky-marine, and Kei to langwrites.

Just beware some light cursing and NSFW language.

The theme this time is RWBY's _Gold (Acoustic Version)._ Please enjoy.

* * *

It was obvious, even after my nap in the hallway, that my friends were being a bit more vigilant than usual. I didn't know what to make of it, but considering we hadn't seen each other in _seven months_ , the simple fact that _every_ single member of Team Minato had glanced at me in the span of five minutes was something.

It could've been called "creepy," but considering that the people involved in said "creepy" act were my _friends,_ I couldn't even say that.

I wanted to voice something, _anything_ about it to break the silence, but whenever I caught their eye, the reactions made me clam up all over again. Obito only sent me nervous smiles, waving at me. Kakashi gave that same soft, almost uncharacteristic eye-smile past cleaning a shuriken. Minato-san, unsurprisingly, gave a warm grin, and Kei?

When I tried to gauge her reaction post-nap, Kei met my stare for a single second before poking my forehead with a roll of her eyes, leaning back against me in yet another a side hug. The gesture alone made the words clump up in my throat.

It was hard to miss the tight grip she had on her kodachi all the while.

I wanted to hear her say something, _anything_ , but the exhausted, happy look in her black eyes when she returned my stare made any desire to speak leave almost immediately.

Sure, Jack-nii was a very fun distraction in some ways, considering he and Papa were _going_ _places and gushing_ for some reason, but there was something about your loved ones looking at you like they hadn't seen you in _years_. Not to mention Team Minato's collective _flinch_ at one of my earlier sleepy sayings mid-nap. Even if I was sleepy, there was no excuse in making my friends remember _something_ painful. Especially if that something was of my own making.

I may not have meant to leave, but the simple fact that I had left them alone for so long had done _something_. The only thing I could liken it to was…well, if Kannabi went the way it did in Canon. Or…the tension Vy experienced after her Dad found out about the Incident so many years ago and telling it to her Mom.

It was uncomfortable silence, and even if I felt physically warm from being in a side-hug with my reincarnation buddy, my _heart_ still felt cold.

Once Obito started to doze off himself against the sitting Minato-san's shoulder, it was obvious time was passing far too slowly. I had no clue where Jack-nii and Papa were, and Kei's breathing was even too. I could tell she wasn't asleep. Her shoulders were still tense.

 **Keeping guard?** Hisako put in quietly. **Kakashi's doing it too.**

I glanced towards Kakashi and, sure enough, he had pulled out what looked like a bloodied kunai before starting to polish it.

The sparkle of dried red only made me shiver.

 _In the time I was gone, how many missions did they go on?_

 _How much did I_ miss _?_

 **How much did they miss** _ **you**_ **?** Hisako solemnly filled in for me.

Without thinking, I scooted closer to snuggle into Kei's side a bit more, tucking my forehead into her shoulder. I didn't want to think on those answers. Even if I was essentially sitting between two chairs in the hallway and essentially making my backside ache, bah. It was my _best friend_.

It was hard to miss Hisako's knowing smile.

Kei only hummed in what sounded like surprised acknowledgement, her right arm squeezing my shoulders in return. She inhaled softly while bumping the top of my head with her cheek. "What are you thinking about, Tomo?"

"A lot of things," I found myself whispering honestly, because I couldn't really lie to Kei now, could I? And Obito had finally found the peace in him to fall asleep in a nap himself, and it was a long day. "How everyone's here, there's no explosions, and that I'll be going home soon. It feels like a dream, really."

From the closeness, I could hear Kei open her mouth to exhale. "If this was a dream, then we'd _all_ be dreaming, Tomo." The grip on her kodachi loosened as the hand on my shoulders lifted to instead land on my head. "But you're stuck with us. Nothing else _but_ that."

A small smile was already playing at the corners of my lips. "I still can't believe you found me by _explosion_."

"The explosions were all Obito's idea, really." But Kei was smirking, from the sound of her voice. "It caught your attention, didn't it?"

"And nearly made Nii _wet_ his pants from the shock," I deadpanned, but the banter already was making Kei's shoulders relax. It almost felt _normal_ again. "Really, Kei. He panicked enough over me already that one time I asked what a 'furry' was."

Hisako gaped. **Tomoko-chan, why—**

Frig. I spoke too soon.

There was only a single second before Kei's shoulders started shaking, and I glanced up once she covered her mouth with her kodachi-holding hand to hide laughter. " _Wh-What?"_ she said breathlessly, but I could still make out the massive grin between the cracks in her fingers. "Tomo, you—" she was snickering. "You didn't know what a ' _furry_ ' was?"

"…No one explained?"

"Pft," Kei pulled away from the hug almost entirely to hang over herself, and I could clearly make out more laughter. " _Wow_ , Tomo. _Wow_."

I pouted. "At least it's better than asking your two past best friends what a ' _bondage slave_ ' was!"

Hisako facepalmed hard, shaking her head hard enough for her long brown hair to slap her cheeks. **Tomoko-chan, nooooooo. Why did you bring that up, Kakashi and Minato-san are still around—**

Kei only stilled once before there was a louder, "Pfffft." She was clearly doing her best to not choke, but gosh, what was this? She even put her kodachi to the side of a nearby empty chair. "Hahahaha, _s-seriously_ , Tomo?"

My face was already flooding with heat for the umpteenth time today as I turned away to pout and cross my arms. Kakashi and Minato-san's almost questioning, _knowing_ glances in our direction wasn't helping anything. "Th-this was back _before_ I met you, okay? I didn't know. Muuuu." I held back the urge to sigh, because this was definitely banter. And my voice was cracking. Wonderful. "I can't believe I _missed_ you."

Another few moments of Kei's quiet laughter passed before she took a breath and I found myself yelping at being brought into another side hug. Aaaah. "I can't believe you _asked_ all that at one point."

My cheeks were still puffed in a pout. Kei wasn't going to win this time in distracting me. Muuu. "I was _curious_ , okay? Really. Sue me if you have to."

Kei only shook her head with a quiet chuckle, squeezing my shoulders again while hoisting up her kodachi from its previous limp position. "Of _course_ ," was the teasing reply. "Only from you, Tomo-chan. Only from you."

I sighed before leaning against her again, because my resolve was losing out in the face of yet another warm hug. "You _doof_."

Kei chuckled again before resting her cheek on my head.

The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I decided not to say it yet. My friends already had enough stress on their heads from being ninja, I didn't want to add more. My seven-month absence was bad enough.

But Kei noticed my thoughts anyways, if her hugs were any indication. The tight grip on me was nothing to laugh at. "Still. Is there anything _else_ on your mind, Tomo?"

I opened my mouth before closing it. "…"

If it wasn't obvious enough, I had to take some time to think about it.

For these past seven months, I only _dreamed_ of seeing everyone again. Cried over the possibility of never going home, and instead doing my best to happily resign myself to spending my days with Jack-nii because he was a good person and I loved him fiercely. But now, Kei and the others were here, and sooner or later, I could go _home_.

My one wish was coming true soon. I was happy, but did I really deserve it?

What about Jack-nii? Even with Mr. Hat…

I rested against Kei's side, doing my best to hold back the urge to hug her. I could tell that she wanted to go home already. The simple fact that she never let go of her kodachi except during that one laugh session said enough. Everyone else probably wanted to go too.

But…

I took a small breath. The question was already tugging at the tip of my tongue, but it was only a feeling with no words. I didn't even have any concrete thing to really center myself with.

It was just me, with Kei, with Team Minato, and for the first time in seven months, I found myself speechless.

 _How much did you see when I was gone?_

Why wasn't there some kind of video game line that made this easier? Why couldn't there be a script? Maybe then my heart wouldn't be beating so much, or my chakra be flowing to the point of making me shiver again.

Kei nudged me softly. "Tomo?"

I took a breath. I couldn't leave her hanging now. I started this, I had to finish this. A thought was finally on my tongue, so I used it. "Kei?"

"Hm?"

I nudged her back to get some space and look up at her properly. "Were you going to tear out the _world_ if it meant finding me?"

I wasn't expecting the immediate and resolute, " _Absolutely_." Kei's expression had turned hard with bitter determination, and all it took was a blink for it to fade for a more resigned, exhausted face. That same exhausted, happy look was in her black eyes again, the eyebags making the color stand out all the more. "You're my _friend_ , Tomo. Why wouldn't I?"

My heart skipped a beat. In any old anime, this would probably be the point of some kind of love confession, or a really heartwarming moment. But life never really was like that. The words were already leaving my lips before I could think on it. "But, Kei—"

"No _buts_ , Tomo," she shot back, and I lurched back as soon as the statement rang in the air. Kei seemed to notice too, because she swiveled her head away to scrub at her eyes with her jacket sleeve at an angle where I couldn't see her face. She turned back to me soon after that, eyes tired and a little red, but the smile was there. "It's been seven _fucking_ months, and you're _still_ my best friend. Don't think otherwise."

The resolute look in her black eyes had me backing down faster than anything else, questions and any other protests fizzling out like embers in the water. "Oh," was all I could say. What, really, did I do to deserve her? I was the dolt that made her _cry_. "I-I'm sorry. For leaving."

"Not your fault," she said curtly, and I couldn't think on it further because she quickly went on and squished me in another hug, a _full_ hug this time. "Don't apologize for that."

I reached over to squeeze her waist and hug back, holding back the urge to sniffle. This was it. This was the thing I missed.

I missed my friends. I missed Kei.

"Still, I'm sorry."

Kei scoffed softly against the top of my hair. "We _really_ need to get you to stop apologizing so much."

"I-I'll try?"

She slowly pulled away from the hug, and I let her. "You better." But she was smiling again, without that exhausted look in her eyes, and that was good enough for me.

Kei mattered a lot to me, and there was no way in hell I wanted to see her upset like that again. As small as the moment was.

Without thinking, I leaned into her side again. Kei apparently wasn't expecting it, but let me anyways, if the arm around my shoulders was any indication. "Tomo?"

The song lyrics were already leaving my lips in a soft whisper.

" _Dream of anything;_

 _I'll make it all come true._

 _Everything you need_

 _Is all I have for you._

 _I'm forever_

 _Always by your side._

 _Whenever you need a friend,_

 _I'm never far behind."_

 _Gold_ was a song I never really got around to singing that much as Vy. There were a lot of high-pitched notes that I couldn't make all the time, but even as Tomoko, I could at least _try_. I was no Casey Lee Williams, but I could try _something_. For Kei, and for my other friends who were resting nearby on their impromptu "guard-duty." I could try to do that much.

" _If the stars all fall,_

 _When there's no more light,_

 _And the moon should crumble,_

 _It will be alright."_

I held back the urge to grip Kei's hand and just fiddled with my own fingers instead, but thankfully, the lyrics were coming naturally. My voice wasn't cracking. There was some kind of success to that, even if it was a private performance in the middle of a side-hug. While sitting in the middle of a single, empty hallway.

It was something.

" _Don't you worry about the dark,_

 _I will light up the night with the love in my heart._

 _I will burn like the sun,_

 _I will keep you safe and warm._

 _Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day,_

 _I will be there to take all your fears away._

 _With a touch of my hand,_

 _I will turn your life to gold._

 _With a touch of my hand,_

 _I'll turn your life to gold."_

We promised, back when we were 8. We would stay together and be with one another, no matter what the odds. That wasn't going to change.

" _Let's have everything,_

 _Nothing we cannot do._

 _Every heart just beaming,_

 _Every sky turns blue._

 _I'm so happy_

 _Just to have you here._

 _Smiles bringing sunshine,_

 _Worries disappear."_

Because, really, how could I worry about the world when I had friends to pick me up? When I had Kei?

" _When the days turn dark,_

 _And we start to fall,_

 _I will pick you up and_

 _We will fix it all._

 _Don't you worry about the dark,_

 _I will light up the night with the love in my heart._

 _I will burn like the sun,_

 _I will keep you safe and warm._

 _Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day,_

 _I will be there to take all your fears away._

 _With a touch of my hand,_

 _I will turn your life to gold._

 _Gold."_

My reincarnation buddy was relaxing, and the air felt warm. Even with my throat feeling dry, I continued singing. I started this, again. I had to finish.

" _Don't worry, I've got you;_

 _Nothing will ever harm you._

 _I'm close by, I'll stay here;_

 _Through all things, I will be near._

 _Close your eyes,_

 _Don't you cry._

 _Love's around you;_

 _In time, you'll fly."_

Screw portals. They weren't worth it if it meant making someone I know cry.

" _Don't you worry about the dark,_

 _I will light up the night with the love in my heart._

 _I will burn like the sun,_

 _I will keep you safe and warm._

 _Like the smell of a rose on a summer's day,_

 _I will be there to take all your fears away._

 _With a touch of my hand,_

 _I will turn your life to gold._

 _With a touch of my hand,_

 _I'll turn your life to gold."_

Once the last verse left my throat, Kei was squeezing me for the umpteenth time, cheek still resting on top of my head. "Think you could teach that to me later? It'll be a good song for Hayate."

I held back a giggle. "Why would I refuse?"

In the end, Kei never did let go of the hug. Or me. I didn't mind.

It finally felt like, in some way, that I was back home.

Maybe if I opened my eyes mid-song, I would've noticed the small camera flash in the distance. I guess that serves as an extra reminder to sing for Jack-nii before going back.

Thankfully, we had time. I could only hope no one was annoyed by my efforts.


	12. Chapter 12: Meeting Leith

_Summary_ : A scene from two years prior, where the Queen of Spades first met the pianist.

Referencing the original short story and artwork that started everything. The song played here is a piano version of _Lugia's Theme_ from Pokemon 2000. Please enjoy~

* * *

It was another day at the cafe when they walked in.

Well… the proper term for it may have been " _waltzed_ " considering their boisterous attitude.

" **Hellooooo, Nagareboshi Cafe!"** The new group of customers ended up yelling, and Mama neatly put on her poker face before rushing to greet them with some of the kitchen staff. " **Could we get some food over here? We're** _ **starving!**_ "

Judging by Papa's sideways glance in my direction before running over to the group as well, I didn't have to guess his thoughts.

 _Try not to get too close to them, sweetie. They seem to be a bit… loud. Let Papa and Mama handle this._

A part of me wanted to pout due to being relegated to just the piano again. And looking over at the group that had just entered, they seemed like a lively bunch.

Sure, they sang and ate messily, with chicken bones and flecks of juice flying in the air moments **long** after I concluded that, but they were still _happy._

I don't think I remember any ninja or civilian being like that in the cafe before, and a part of me wanted to help out for the sake of really enjoying my job.

Enjoying the fact that the establishment I've been in for so long was actually _helping people._

Then I caught sight of her.

With her checkered hat and white hair, I could've sworn that the woman resembled a grown-up version of my best friend at first glance. But when I observed the situation for a little while longer, it was easy to tell that this wasn't a female Kakashi. This lady had a yellow sweatshirt that clung to her figure, whether by sweat or by physics I wasn't sure, accompanied by a purple sash and blue waist-cape to match. I wasn't sure if she was wearing _pants_ underneath the waist-cape, but her muscular thighs and what seemed to be military boots finished an aura that clearly screamed, " _Let's get down to business, chumps!"_

And with her rolling up her sleeves at the sight of her group loudly cheering in the corner, chaos was going to be imminent.

I decided to step in.

"Excuse me, may I help you with anything, Miss?"

Inwardly, I was wondering if that was the wrong thing to say because the lady continued to roll up her sleeves while not turning to me. "Yeah, get me a large order of ice, cuz I'm gonna bust some nu—"

And then she whipped her head around to look at me.

 _Did she notice me just now?_

I tried not to fidget and instead put on my best smile as her hazel eyes widened at the sight of me.

…And did she just freeze up? Huh?

The woman closed her mouth before letting out a simple yet shaky, "Uhhh…" It took a few moments, but relief flooded me as soon as she smiled back. "Heyyy~" she drawled finally.

"Hi!" The relief seemed to be affecting my actions too, because I found myself bowing before waving excessively. "I'm Hoshino Tomoko, and I'll be serving you this evening~"

Mentally, Hisako sweated. **Dear, that seems like a bit much—**

"Isn't there a clause about Child Labor laws?" was her response, and judging by the woman's clapping of her hands over her mouth, she wasn't meaning to say that.

 **Whoops,** Hisako deadpanned. **At least this lady knows how to keep her mouth shut.**

 _Hisako!_

 **Hm.** My other self shrugged. Was she sulking again?

Outwardly, I tried to carry out the tension with a clapping of my hands. "Don't worry about that! I volunteered! And Papa doesn't let me work all day!" _Even though I would like to try, cough cough._ "I usually sit and play the piano instead~"

The woman glanced past my shoulder towards the stage, and she nodded in acknowledgement.

It was a good enough sign for me.

"Do you want me to play you a song?" I found myself asking, twirling in place out of sheer excitement.

The last thing I was expecting was for her face to twist into something I couldn't recognize at first glance while rubbing the back of her neck. I wasn't sure if she was troubled, angry, or anything, but judging by her avert glances at me, something must've been going on in her head.

The loud noise in the background was my lightbulb.

"If you don't want me to, that's fine. I can just get you some tea…" I amended quietly.

To my surprise, the lady immediately waved my worries off, biting her lip in what was now a clear grimace. "No no… it's fine. Uh…" She rubbed the back of her neck again while looking away from me. "I just… I'm not familiar with the local music."

 _Oh._ I smiled a little more before reaching out to grasp her hand with mine. "Don't worry! I have the perfect song for you."

 **An old classic to help with the tension? Nice choice, dear,** Hisako interrupted, prodding the song in question with a finger.

My new customer, on the other hand, still seemed a bit awkward even when taking the seat next to me at the piano. With her glancing about and the loud group in the corner, she almost seemed like a small goose with her movements.

I gave her one more smile before turning to the keys, folding my dress underneath myself. "Just relax," I started, pressing a few keys. The piano crooned softly in gratitude. "And let the music flow." I imagined the large dragon bird flying through the sky before starting the first chord. "And let your mind be at ease."

The notes came almost naturally, as always. With the soft beats of the piano strings, I could almost vividly recall those days.

Those old, wonderful days, when I was a child in another time, watching my television screen for the sight of that large dragon.

A majestic _white_ dragon, bringing peace back among Fire, Ice, and Lightning.

The Beast of the Sea, restored with the blue skies and flying freely, allowing only a single boy and his yellow companion to take flight with them.

Pure harmony.

 _Lugia_.

Once the last note was played, I turned to her only to nearly jump out of my seat at the sight of _tears_ rolling down her face. Judging by her quiet demeanor, it seemed like the woman had yet to notice she was crying, giving me ample time to pull her into a hug and run my fingers through her hair.

" _It's okay, it's okay. Don't worry,"_ left me in sincere apologies, over and over. " _You're safe."_

The loud and cheery noise in the corner seemed to have died down too as the woman twitched. Then, quiet sobs started leaving her as she hugged me back, almost too tightly as she buried her head into my shoulder.

Tears were dripping down onto my dress, but I didn't care.

Then she looked up at me, hazel eyes glowing with the most emotion I had ever seen that day.

" _Thank you,_ " she murmured.

I smiled back before hugging her a bit tighter, winding my arms around her neck so that she could rest against my shoulder.

" _Of course."_

I succeeded in making someone happy. That was enough for me.


	13. Chapter 13: Leith and Tomo

_Disclaimer:_ I don't own anyone except Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. Leith belongs to the ever-lovely Abalisk-senpai, and Ace, Kakashi, and Sakumo belong to their respective creators of Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto.

The song mentioned throughout this fic is specifically ClariS's _Connect_ from _Puella Magi Madoka Magica._ I specifically use this guitar version and Miku-Tan's English dubbed lyrics.

Please enjoy this informal sequel to the original piece~

* * *

Cleaning the cafe was always something I never did like at the end of the day. Even if Konoha had a somewhat nicer reputation in comparison to other shinobi villages, it did not change the fact that some of the clientele could be _messy._

"I have half an urge to call those men back and ask them to help us clean up," I could vaguely hear Mama mutter from a corner of the bar. The squeak-squeak of a cloth followed the statement, and from how quick it was, I could tell she was at least annoyed. Oh dear. "They might've eaten through at least _half_ of the food I had stocked for the next _three_ _months_ , and their appetites…!" Mama shook her head while wiping at her cheek with the back of her right hand. "I could've sworn they were _pirates_ with how loud they were…"

Papa was wiping down the cash register with a soft laugh. "Hikari, they still did good business! They paid in-full for everything too! And thankfully, the ninja didn't say much of anything, so it's all good!"

Mama only sighed. "If you say so, Judai."

 **Well~!** I tried not to jump at the sound of Hisako's voice in my head. Once again, she was twirling some kind of thought cloud above her hair as she grinned. **At least you made someone happy today, right, Tomoko-chan?**

The simple memory of that white-haired lady with the hazel eyes only brought a small smile to my face as I sprayed some cleaning fluid onto the towel in my hands. The piano was getting dusty, so it was time to wipe down.

The last thing I was expecting to hear was the soft sound of a guitar.

As expected, Hisako reacted first. **Eh?**

Mama and Papa looked up next. "Huh?" Papa said dully.

I blinked and scratched the outer rim of my right ear with my non-cleaning hand to give the guitar more attention.

It only took a few seconds for me to recognize the chords.

 _Connect?_

Without even thinking, I was already dropping the cleaning towel onto the piano keys before running outside. Despite Mama's shocked protest of my name, I still was running as fast as I could, only vaguely making out the next few notes of _Connect_ before I was nearing the entrance. The doors were only a small obstacle, because throwing them open was the best thing that you could do to them.

Once I could get a glimpse of the night sky, I turned towards the direction of the song before freezing.

That same lady. It was her. White hair, hazel eyes, yellow sweatshirt, even the same violet sash and blue waist-cape. The cape in question was draping the seat of the chair she was sitting in. From the looks of it, she apparently grabbed one of the chairs from outside the cafe to bask in the night light coming from the patio above us.

I was surprised that she didn't even _flinch_ at my appearance, only continuing to strum the apparently _gorgeous_ acoustic guitar in her hands. Her checkered hat was now sitting on her lap, showing off her full head of white hair, and the light only made it shine. _Connect_ seemed to sound from the strings all the stronger now with the lack of distance, and I found myself standing in awe as she continued to play.

 **Maybe…** Hisako inclined her head. **Is she…?**

I didn't want to entertain that thought just yet. Instead, I held my hands together against my chest to take in the song for as long as I could, closing my eyes.

This was the first time that someone other myself was playing a song from the _old world_. And with how death was a common thing in any world, in any _life_ , I wanted to bask in the memories.

The remaining lyrics to the song came almost naturally to me.

 _Here we stand: a world of ruin_

 _No path to guide us onward._

 _Still I smile and face the day:_

 _With you, I'll find my way._

 _Now my heart's alive, and racing_

 _Towards the future._

 _There's no doubt that_

 _Could dare hold me back._

 _I'm gonna fly on forward into that_

 _Blue sky, boundless and bright._

 _I still pray and hope_

 _That one day we'll be together._

 _I'll fight onward_

 _And see you again, my friend._

 _I won't stop until the end._

 _I won't give in._

 _Tomorrow's looking bright…_

I didn't even realize the guitar had stopped until the sound of chirping crickets reached my ears, and I opened my eyes only to make eye contact with familiar hazel—

 _Oh no._

She was already opening her mouth. "F—" was all I could get out before she ducked her head, smacking her left cheek with her strumming hand.

 _Oh no._

"U-Um," my face was already starting to turn hot as I tried to not fumble with my kimono sleeves. "I—"

Even then, the lady didn't yell like I was expecting, instead staying in that stool while holding up her guitar. She huffed a breath before making eye contact again, inclining her head. "Hey," she said, eyebrows furrowed awkwardly.

"H-hello again," I said, feeling all the more embarrassed now. It almost felt like I walked into something I shouldn't have. Instead, Hisako held up a cue card, and I found myself mentally reading the script, thanking my Nobody all the while. "Wh-what brings you back to Nagareboshi Cafe, ma'am? We're just about to close…"

The lady shook her head, smiling at me crookedly. "Hey, uh, don't call me ' _ma'am,_ ' please? I'm not that old."

If my face was previously a cherry in color, it was probably turning into a tomato at this rate. With the temperature of the sun in July, no doubt. "I-I'm sorry!" I tried not to fidget, instead gripping the hem of my skirt while shrugging my shoulders as best as I could. "Then, what do you want me to call you?"

"Leith," the lady said curtly, and she relaxed the arm holding her guitar up before smiling a bit wider. "Just no suffixes or any of that nice stuff. In exchange, would—" she paused, pressing a pointer finger to her forehead before glancing back at me. "Would ' _Tomo_ ' work? Cuz three-syllable names are too long~"

 **Uhhhhh, okay?** Hisako went. **Did she just** _ **hum?**_

"I don't mind?" I added. Hey, I didn't mean for that last part to come out as a question, but once it was already out and gracing the air, Leith snorted.

"Or," Leith gestured with the guitar handle at me with the same crooked smile. "You _are_ a kid, so ' _squirt_ ' works just fine too."

Hisako was now suddenly holding a hammer. **I don't know if I like or dislike you right now, Leith. I just wish I could tell you. You're on the line for now.** She waved the hammer around for a moment, twirling it with ease in spite of its weight. The movement actually jostled a few books in her wake throughout the mental library, and I tried to hold back a wince. **Just don't show Tomoko-chan any sexual stuff, and we're** _ **good**_ **.**

I had _no clue_ whether Hisako was meaning the threat or not, so I just dropped a large blue curtain on her as a way of quieting her. "A-Anyways!" I tried not to throw my hands up in the air from the embarrassment and Hisako's own ranting. "L-Leith, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be heading back home?"

Those hazel eyes narrowed on me for a moment before she threw her head back and chuckled sheepishly. "H-home? I just wanted to wander for a bit, that's all!" Leith laughed again, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that she was hiding something. Before I could say anything else, she glanced back at me with a more lopsided smile. "And, by the way, Tomo? Think you could spare a bed?"

"…What?"

* * *

"So, let me get this straight." Papa was now the one leaning his forehead against his hand. "Tomoko-chan, you met up again with the lady you helped earlier, and she wants us to do _what_ now?"

"Share a room for me to stay for the night?" Leith shrugged, guitar now strapped to her back, and I couldn't help but fidget as Papa sighed. Mama simply reached over to rub his back with a wry smile. "Honestly want to avoid my crew right now."

"…This just sounds suspicious to me," Uncle Sakumo added from his sitting position at the living room couch, but I only had to glance at him before he smiled, quieting down.

"I say, ' _No_ ,'" Kakashi concluded with a twitch of his eyebrow. His crossed arms didn't really help matters.

"But, uh…" Once I spoke up, everyone in the house, Leith included, turned to me and I tried not to freeze. "How about she just stays in the living room? I can pull out the futons and as long as there isn't a lot of noise, I can stay with her for…" I floundered, voice cracking. " _Guard duty_?"

A long pause followed.

Kakashi sighed loudly through his mask.

* * *

"I…have _no_ friggin' clue how you did that, Tomo," Leith said in the mass that was her futon-blanket-burrito, pillow inconspicuously sticking out of the bundle. She was still staring at me with the wide hazel eyes from before, and I tried not to sigh while smoothing out any wrinkles in my own futon. "Do you have some kind of rare fruit that you ate while playing piano or something?"

Hisako was gaping now. **Is she** _ **drinking**_ **something, or—**

I immediately dropped another large curtain on my Nobody as a response.

Outwardly, I tried not to huff at Hisako's rambling, tugging at my nightgown sleeves to cover more skin. Mama's designs were modest as always, but it could get cold sometimes in the living room. "I don't know either. But…" My heart beat as I looked up to meet Leith's gaze, shrugging. "It does feel like I can trust you, and Papa _did_ have the house set up with some traps, so it should be fine!"

Leith immediately tensed up, glancing around before turning back to me, hazel eyes wide. "…I'm not going to get skewered or anything, am I? I can't deal with the sea as is."

My mouth was already dropping open before I could get anything intelligible out. If anyone was listening in, they probably would've heard me squeak like Minnie Mouse before speaking. "L-Leith-san, what kind of life have you been _leading?_ "

"Don't ask, squirt," she retorted, and that was all I could get before she shifted in her bundle and promptly dropped her head onto the futon pillow. "Don't ask. Just turn off the lights, please."

 **Hm.** Hisako hummed while finally wrestling my blue curtain off her head. **She's hiding something.**

 _Just drop it, Hisako._

 **But—**

 _Please._

My Nobody immediately went quiet at that.

I decided to leave out questions about _Connect_ , instead smoothing out my futon before shutting off the nearby light switch and laying down myself. "I'm sorry if this does make you uncomfortable though, Leith." I had to stop myself from adding the instinctual '-san' before smiling. Even up close, her white hair looked shiny in the incoming moonlight. "But I'm glad I got to see you again."

Leith's shoulders tensed once before she shifted in her futon bundle again, turning over to me with a wry smile. Her white hair was now framing her face, really showing off the muscle mass that came with being an adult. "You squirt," she muttered, but the tone was fond, unlike her previous awkwardness from the day. "You're too sweet for your own good."

I couldn't help but smile bigger. "I get that a lot. But it's just me. And I'm being honest."

Leith rolled her hazel eyes before shifting again, and I blinked once a rough hand landed on my head. "Get some sleep, squirt." The same hand ruffled my hair for a few moments before reaching to my blanket and pulling it up, effectively tucking me in without saying anything else. "Save that sweetness for the crew tomorrow."

The yawn leaving me was loud enough for Leith apparently, since she ruffled my hair once more before pulling back. "Can't wait to see Ace's face at you," was her mumble, and by then, I was trying to fight off sleep.

"Who is Ace—" my eyes were already closing with another yawn. Oh well. Another day. "Night night, Leith…"

The last thing I remember before falling asleep was that white hair sparkling in the moonlight as a hand brushed my shoulders.

* * *

" _Vy?"_

 **Huh? What?**

" _D-Daddy, I—"_

 **What?**

" _I'm sorry, sir, it's a rather difficult situation." A long sigh followed. "Vy, do you want to take a break?"_

 **No.** _ **No.**_ **Not this again. I don't want to see this again. Vy is supposed to be dead. Not like this. Not like this…!**

" _Vy?"_

" _D-Daddy, I…I—"_

 **NO!**

* * *

I was not expecting to jump from my futon, heart racing like I was on a marathon that night. Nor was I expecting to wake up _crying._

 **Tomoko-chan?** Hisako's voice, softer and comforting now, and her hands wrapped around my mental self as the library rumbled. **Tomoko-chan, it's okay. It's okay.**

I tried to catch my breath, the tears already streaming down my face, only to freeze at the sound of another voice.

" _Ugh,_ what hit the ship…?!" was the apparent grumble at my right side, and I was already turning around to catch a glimpse of white hair and apparently crusted hazel eyes. "What's going—" Leith immediately was on edge as soon as we made eye contact, and I found myself fumbling with my hands.

She didn't deserve this.

Leith definitely deserved someone, anyone better than the crying little girl I was being right now.

"I-I'm sorry, I—"

Leith didn't even let me continue before she was sitting up in her futon, scooting over to gently rest a hand on my hair. "Hey, squirt," her voice was soft, almost as much as Mama's, or Hisako's with the way it sounded. "What happened? Why the tears?"

"I—" The lump in my throat made me choke as I tried to find a grip on anything I could find, instead grasping what fabric I could of the chest area of my nightgown. "I-I just…" Tears were already soaking my dress, and I tried not to sob. "I—"

Leith was already grunting in understanding before pulling, and I found my forehead bumping her shoulder before arms were winding around my back in a hug. What? "Hey, you're okay. Tomo, you're with me. You're at home, and you're okay." She was starting to hum.

I tried not to stiffen as Leith started to run her fingers through my hair, brushing out any tangles with ease while continuing to hum. It was almost like she had revealed another side of herself, and I couldn't even find the heart to comment once she started to sing, rocking me back and forth in the hug all the while.

"Every time I stop and stumble

in doubt and darkness

I close my eyes and think back to you."

My heart was already starting to slow.

"We made a vow, a promise,

To carry onward,

I'll see it through.

When I was young, the sky shone clear and bright and blue,

And I smiled through every day, knowing that all my dreams would come true.

Now that I've grown, that sky fades dark and disappears

And the future I once dreamed dissolves

before my doubts and fears."

 _ **Connect?**_ Hisako said incredulously. She then paused. **I take it back. Leith has officially earned the right of immense respect and lots of love.** She was smiling now. **Kudos to her.**

"Then you came to me,

Took me by the hand,

And the strength you shared helped me to rise and stand.

Let the clocks tick by,

Let the days fade away,

'Cause I've found the path my heart will

walk today."

My breathing was the next thing to even out as Leith continued to brush my hair. I don't even remember if I ever hugged back. All that was lingering in my mind were the familiar lyrics from _Puella Magi Madoka Magica_ and Leith's voice, singing strong in spite of my remnant sniffling.

"Now my heart's alive, and racing

Towards the future,

There's no doubt that

Could dare hold me back.

I'm gonna fly on forward into that blue sky, bound-less and bright.

I still pray and hope

That one day we'll be together

I'll fight onward

And see you again, my friend.

I won't stop until the end,

I won't give in."

My heart was quiet now. Everything felt warmer. Almost gentler, somehow. It was like Mama's hot chocolate with how everything had turned soft and fuzzy. The last thing I remember was my eyes closing and a nose brushing my head. "Payback's not a bitch in this case," was the mumble, and then all I could feel was Leith's presence, cradling me as the blankets covered us again.

I don't think I had that specific nightmare ever again.


	14. Chapter 14: Princess of the Whitebeards

_Summary_ : Where going home is delayed and the Queen of Spades comes back to give wedding invitations. And there is kidnapping. Kind of.

* * *

…Abalisk, I totally blame you for the idea. Full-heartedly.

Anywho. The theme for this chapter is Jayn's English cover of _Dreamcatcher_ from Magical Girl Raising Project. The original song was done by Nano, but I find that the English lyrics from Jayn do the job well. You can also check out the piano cover done by fireteamtorch piano on YouTube for the piano alternative.

Please enjoy!

* * *

"Got everything you need, Tomo?"

"I—" A grunt left my lips as I hoisted up my bag. Even though it was supposed to be a supply bag every ninja was used to, being a backpack, it still seemed _heavy_. Um. My muscles probably weren't used to this because civilian exercises, but Vy's old pride was still there. Like, dammit, past me could bike _36_ miles in half a day! That was something! Muu. "I think so?"

Kei gave me a single look of disbelief before sighing and shaking her head. It didn't take long for her to walk towards me with an outstretched hand. "C'mon, Tomo, let me help."

I tried not to pout while slowly slipping my right arm through the first strap. "It's okay, I-I think I can handle this, though, Kei! Really—"

And then I proceeded to fall over and onto my back from the weight. Er. _Ow._ It helped that the backpack cushioned a majority of my fall, but it still _hurt_. " _Owwwww_. Um…" I waved my hands around in the air in an attempt to get up, only to feel more helpless than usual. "Ehehehe… Oops?"

Kei huffed once before grabbing my right hand to pull me up effortlessly. "And that's why I offered," she said, raising an eyebrow at me all the while. I didn't miss how her other hand immediately went on to grab the unoccupied backpack strap to lift on her own, and it was hard to hold back the urge to gape at her holding up the darn thing without so much as a grunt. "Seriously, Tomo, what do you _have_ in here?"

"Um, all the clothes that I've worn since coming here, one of Nii's hats, and a plush toy?" I squeaked honestly. Because there was no other way to answer that question. I still wondered how the backpack was _bulging_ , because I could've sworn I put the bare minimum of the essentials in the darn thing.

Kei was now staring at me again. "One of ' _Nii's_ ' hats?"

Oh gosh. My face was flooding with heat yet again, but I still found the courage, or perhaps stubbornness, to reply. "I _told_ you about the Mr. Hat thing already, Kei! And since we're going home, I kinda wanted a memento of him!"

My reincarnation buddy was starting to take on a rather dour face. For an analogy, it was like she had _literally_ swallowed an entire lemon from my words alone. "A memento," she repeated slowly.

I couldn't help but squeak again, because _Kei_ having a sour face was not something I was used to. "I-Is that wrong?"

Kei closed her eyes, shouldered my backpack effortlessly with one hand, and pinched the bridge of her nose with the other. "Only _you_ , Tomo… only you."

"Wh-What's that supposed to mean?"

She removed her hand to smile instead. "Nothing, Tomo." Her smile looked genuine enough. "Nothing at all."

And then she reached over and flicked my forehead through my bangs with her free hand.

Definitely was not expecting that. I found myself reeling and covering my head with both my hands, because _ow_. "Ow! _Kei_!" I couldn't help the pout coming up on my face now. "What was that for?!"

"Just because," she was humming now, and I couldn't ignore the gut feeling that I was missing something. _Again_. Was it because of the seven months I was gone, or was Kei a bit more…out there than usual? "Just because, Tomo."

Before I could think on it more, she poked the little head-space left between my fingers as a way of ending the conversation. Because the backpack could only hang on one shoulder for oh-so-long.

And "Tomo." That nickname again. Before I had left, Kei almost always used "Tomo-chan." Never just "Tomo." Something happened, and I couldn't shake off the idea that "something" wasn't exactly good.

My mouth was opening before I could even reconsider. "Kei?"

By the time I said her name, Kei had already turned around to survey what was originally my room in the Marine base, checking the surroundings one more time before swiveling her head back to meet my stare. The question in her eyes was obvious before she even said anything. Nonetheless, she seemed up to entertaining the mood. "What is it, Tomo?"

I sucked in a breath. The same nickname, said so casually. There was no point in getting nervous now. I walked into this, and there was no "Run" button. Kei was not a Wild Pokémon. It took almost everything I had to not squeak again like Minnie Mouse. "Y-You're okay, right?"

Kei blinked at me. "Uh," she started slowly, clearly caught off guard for a mere second before straightening herself, jostling the backpack all the while. "Yeah? I mean, Tomo, why wouldn't I be?"

Ooookay, this was starting to turn into a game of 20 Questions, or something. Scratch that, why _wasn't_ there a "Run" button? "Well, um." My heart beat against my ribs from the nervousness, and out of habit, I ducked my head to hide behind what I could use of my short hair. "Ever since you found me, you've been calling me, 'Tomo,' Kei. I'm just not used to it…" From the embarrassment, or perhaps some nervousness, I pressed my fingers together, trying not to fidget. "Before, it was just, 'Tomo-chan,' so…what changed?"

The sound of backpack shuffling paused. "Was that wrong? It's been a long while, so… yeah." Through what little I could see past my bangs, Kei seemed sheepish, rubbing her neck like… like that day two years ago. "Sorry if it made you uncomfortable."

Um.

 **Go, Tomoko-chan!** And Hisako was pushing, oh god—

"N-NO, Kei! Not at all!" I don't even know _where_ the courage to yell came from, but Kei was flinching and I was shrinking again. Frig, I was just becoming an open book to anything and everyone, wasn't I? Still, the words were leaving me faster than anything else. "It doesn't make me feel uncomfy at all! It just…" My face was already starting to feel like an oven, so the only thing I could think of was ducking my head and promptly jogging forward to wrap my arms around Kei's middle in a hug before she could move away. Because friend and embarrassment meant good hiding place. "I just missed you, so to hear that is kinda new and it makes me happy, so." I buried my nose into her familiar white-dark blue hoodie. "It's okay. You can keep calling me that."

A hand landed on the back of my head, patting it softly. "Huh," Kei mused quietly, but there was a hint of fondness in her voice that wasn't there before as her fingers ran through some small tangles in my hair. "The nickname stays then. But if you keep reacting like this, Tomo, _someone's_ going to misunderstand the situation."

"Someone, no one, _bleh_ ," was my now childish mumble into her hoodie because the hug was nice and I didn't want to let go. "I wasn't lying when I said I missed you. And I really, _really_ missed you, Kei."

Kei snorted before tightening the hug as much as she could. Even with the backpack in the way, it didn't stop her from putting her other arm around my shoulders to squeeze in return. "You friggin' _dork._ "

There was another pause, long enough to make me wonder if I did something wrong. Then, there was no denying the soft whisper. Even if my right ear was pressed against her shoulder, the vibration in her chest was unmistakable. "I missed you too."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling brightly and squeezing tighter. Kei laughed. "T-Tomo, the ribs. Hey."

Yep. The words this time didn't even spark any embarrassment. I knew it as the truth. My bestest friend and my reincarnation buddy. "Oh, Kei, I love you!"

Hisako cackled in triumph. **Emotional honesty 1, embarrassment 0!**

Kei simply snorted above my head again. "You _dork_."

Then there was a loud _CLICK_.

The hand on my hair froze. "That was…" Kei shifted, and I looked up from her shoulder, just in time to see the lens of a DSLR duck behind the doorway.

My face was already flooding with heat. There was only _one_ person I knew who had such an obnoxious camera. " _NIIIIIIII!_ "

" _Aww_ , darn it! I've been caught!" Sure enough, my Marine caretaker poked his head out from behind the wood, grinning teasingly. The camera around his neck only sparkled in the light. The fact that his ahoge bounced past the slit in his hat didn't help. Nor did the bright blue _heart_ on Mr. Hat's visor in my direction. "Hi, Tomo-chan! Hope you don't mind the camera! With my little sis going home soon, Nii couldn't help but take pictures to commemorate the day! You were so cute just now!"

Yep, there went the butterflies. "Niiiiiiii, we were having a moment! Whyyyyy."

"Because you're adorable and I don't know if I can get this chance again?" He paused before raising his pointer finger with a brighter smile. "Also because your dad wants copies?"

That was it. I didn't even register Kei's shock as I slowly let go to stomp towards my Marine caretaker. What was I, a model? "Jack-niiiiiiiii! Please delete that photo!"

Mr. Hat promptly displayed a bolded exclamation mark as Jack-nii faked a gasp. "Never!" was the only reply I got before he promptly turned on his heel and _bolted_.

The hell. What the hell.

I could've sworn I heard Kei snicker. Hisako was already gloating loudly a la a Wicked Witch of the West, and I made sure to drop a curtain on her. Bleh.

Even with my legs starting to scream in protest before I even went on pushing _anything_ , I ran after him. "NIIIIIIIII! PLEASE GET BACK HERE!"

"NEVER!"

" _NIIIIIIIIIIIII!"_

It was hard to miss Kei's fading laughter behind me as the chase began.

* * *

"Well, hime?" Papa patted my head comfortingly as I fought to catch my breath. How Jack-nii had that much stamina was beyond me. Non-ninja-status factored in and all. "Did you have fun running around?"

"T-Tried," was my best attempt at an answer, because that chase really shouldn't have happened in hindsight and I got tired over almost _nothing_. Jack-nii was fast on his feet for a _reason_. Chasing after him for a single picture was like asking to retrieve _Black Zetsu_ from whatever Diglett hole he was hiding in. Because that was impossible. At least, right now. "But I'm okaaaaaaay?"

The slur wasn't even intentional, but it did a good job of getting a laugh out of Obito. "Tomo-chan, you could've asked us! We could've caught him for you!"

 **Uh, NO.** Hisako said hotly in my place. Because there was no way I could yell at _Obi_.

Instead, what left me was a loud, "Nooooooooo, I would be worried that you'd beat the crap out of him instead…"

Without even raising my head, I knew Jack-nii was giving us all a "what-the-hell" face. "Tomo-chan, I've outrun _pirates_. And Mom's scarier. You think your Nii is going to go down that easily?"

Papa snorted, his hand still on my head. It was obvious he wasn't all that keen on letting up. Then again, seven months passed for him too. "Beat me in a fight, and we'll see about that."

With the nonchalant tone he used, I had _no clue_ if he was being serious or trolling. Or a mix of the two. Instead, what went through my head was something along the lines of: _No. Oh god,_ no _. Miyako-bachan and Papa were bad about this already!_

Hisako crossed her arms and nodded to herself. **…I think I'd like to see that.**

 _Hisako._

 **What? It's just a passing interest! As long as they don't die—**

 _PLEASE DON'T IMPLY ANYTHING ELSE ASIDE FROM THAT._

I was not expecting Jack-nii to crack his knuckles with a teasing grin in return. "I'm up for it."

Hisako's jaw dropped before she screamed a loud and expectant, **HOLY SHIT, I WANNA SEE THIS!**

 _I DON'T!_

 **C'MON, TOMOKO-CHAN, WOULDN'T IT BE A NICE FIGHT?!**

 _I DON'T_ WANT _TO SEE PAPA AND NII FIGHT, HISAKO!_

My Nobody opened her mouth and then paused. **Oh.**

Outwardly, it took all I had to stay calm, and even then, the urge to grab onto something was strong. I needed a consistent _rock_ at this rate and well, the options were limited. Instead of taking a deep breath like any other person, my hand was already reaching out for someone to hang onto.

I probably should've expected I'd latch onto Kei first. Technically, I grabbed the nearest jacket sleeve, but it did enough to catch her attention. Through my bangs, I could make out her turning to me, mouthing my nickname with a confused look in her eyes. Words couldn't even leave my lips at this point because I could've sworn sparks were flying between Papa and my Marine Caretaker, and the thought was terrifying. All I could do was shake my head while gesturing with my shoulder.

 _No fight, no fight, no fight, nofight, nofight, NOFIGHT._ Please _._

Thankfully, Kei got the message, reaching over with her other, free hand to pat mine softly before pulling back. "Judai-jichan," she started dryly, "before you start anything — don't you have to worry about helping Sensei with getting us back to Konoha?"

Papa's hand on my head tensed for a single second as Jack-nii and him exchanged wide-eyed stares. "Ah," he said quietly, before grinning a bit too brightly, "we got a bit too into the moment, didn't we?"

Jack-nii sighed and shook his head as Minato-san nearby laughed from his position of crouching on his knees. "At least you noticed now! Can I get some help?"

"Sure," Papa remarked, lifting his hand off my head to jog over. Out of curiosity, I looked over in that same direction. Past Kei's arm, of course, but it was still something. But looking over the Yellow Flash's work made me jump, because there was now a _huge_ intricate fuinjutsu circle thingy in the middle of the pavement that just _wasn't_ there before.

 **Er. Hey, Tomoko-chan. When did** _ **that**_ **show up?**

 _Don't ask me. I don't know._

 **…Are you holding a grudge about the fight thing?**

 _Muu_.

 **Ah**. Hisako said softly, huffing an exasperated breath before brushing a hand through my hair. Even if it was only in the mindscape, my head still felt tingly. **I went too far, so I'll leave you be for a bit, Tomoko-chan. I'm sorry for teasing too much.**

Outwardly, I tried not to pout. It felt like I messed up. Again. _It's not your fault, Hisako…_

 **Eh.** My Nobody smiled wryly, shaking her head before pressing a small kiss to my head. Even if it was a mental gesture, just between the two of us, it was just as tingly as her hand from before. It was warm. **Just let me take responsibility as your mental control booth and Nobody, dear. Just let me do that much. I'll be here providing commentary as always. Don't worry. I'm not going far away.**

I couldn't help my last thought. Perhaps it was the events that happened in the past seven months, but they were already shared in the library anyway. _Be safe, okay?_

 **Pft, dear. Who do you think you're talking to?** Hisako still let out a soft laugh, kissing my head yet again before walking away to another part of the library. **Don't worry, Tomoko-chan. I love you too.**

I tried not to flush outwardly red as Kei glanced over in Minato-san and Papa's direction too. "Do you need help, Sensei?"

"Oh, Kei-kun? Yes, that would be appreciated," was the loud yet mumbled answer, and Kei simply shot me a small grin before running over to help with what was quickly becoming a large fuinjutsu circle that reminded me of _Fullmetal Alchemist_ , for some reason. Um. Obito and Kakashi were already geared up and ready to go home, if their most recent little spat was meaning anything, with Jack-nii conversing with Papa again, so why did it feel like there was something else going on…

" _P-Papa, could I help too?"_ was already on the verge of my tongue when I took a step forward and promptly got blindsided.

To be more exact, big hands covered my eyes and pulled me back enough to where I couldn't move. "I just caught a little Princess!" was the loud shout from behind. A single second, and then the voice spoke up again with a soft and fond, "Remember me?"

Hisako paused in her vacuuming the library. Because she started that, apparently. **The fuck just happened?** she said simply.

Because of proper _panic_ and surprise, what sounded like vague gasps left my throat before I could move my hands. My eyes were still covered, but judging by the calluses and the cheery voice, this was… "L-Leith-nee? Is that you?"

" _Ding ding ding_! The Princess got the right answer!" was the happy cry that followed, and the hands immediately left my eyes, leaving me to wince at the flooding of _light_. Ah, I was not prepared for the world after being sheltered away like _that_. I didn't even get a chance to turn around before arms were going under my knees to _lift_ , and the squawk was already leaving me once my feet were in the air _again_. "Hi, Princess!"

Yep. The same white hair and hazel eyes. Of course it was my older sister figure. I pulled my arms in towards my chest, feeling small in her grip. Because, really, when was the last time Leith-nee _carried_ me? The bit of wind from the sea didn't help much, considering I was still wearing my kimono dress and sandals, with no stockings. Brrrrr, _cold_. "H-Hi, Leith-nee. What are you doing here?"

"Why, Princess! I'm getting _married_!" was the hearty reply, and Leith-nee bounced me in the sudden half-hug all the while, grinning widely. She didn't even seem to care that her black and white baseball cap was sitting crooked on her head now. "And I need a bridesmaid, and there's no one else but _you_ now, huh?"

"Eh?"

It immediately dawned on me that we weren't alone in the area. I didn't even have to look around to know the ninja were _glaring_ in Leith-nee's direction. Kei included. Shit. This was Jack-nii's interrogation all over again. "…Leith," my Marine caretaker started first, his voice suspiciously quiet. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing?"

"Hey, Jack!" Leith-nee chirped, still not letting me go all the while as the glares seemed to _intensify_ in her direction. And since I was being directly _carried_ by her, I could feel the heat, and to be honest? It was uncomfortable. Like, _seriously_ uncomfortable. "I'm just here to take my bridesmaid in preparation for the wedding!"

"Wait. It's happening _now_?" Jack-nii said incredulously. "I don't have all my stuff on me!"

"Why _not_ now?"

"Leith?" Papa interrupted loudly, and it just dawned on me right there that _Papa_ and Kakashi were around too. They could help with the situation. So, please, you two. Make everyone else stop glaring. Please.

"Oh, Tomo's dad, Fluffybutt!" Leith-nee chirped, and it vaguely registered in my ears that she was _humming_. Then again, from the fear or from the embarrassment, I don't even know anymore, my nose was tucked into the crook between her neck and shoulder to help me hide away. Because that was the closest thing I had to melting into a puddle for others to stare at. "Sorry, but I'm borrowing Princess!"

Hisako snorted loudly just as my ears picked up the small and shocked, " _Fluffybutt_?" from the newly nicknamed Chunin in question. I couldn't miss Obito's snicker either.

"Like _hell_ you are without permission, Leith," was Papa's answer, and I could tell he was starting to get somewhat exasperated, even with the hint of what sounded like amusement in his voice. "Not that I don't trust you, but did you even bother _asking_ hime first?"

There was a pause. "Whoops." Leith-nee then bounced me again, making me look up from her shoulder to make eye contact, and her expression was basically the most sheepish smile she could muster. It was still a grin that promised things I wasn't sure of. Uh. "Tomo? Wanna come with me?"

"Um," I said slowly, trying not to squeak, because I was not expecting to be at the focal point of what was turning into a messy situation. Again. There should've been something to say, like, " _How did you find me,"_ or" _How did you know I was going out here?"_

Instead, I don't even know if it was out of habit or desperation, my gaze was swiveling around to find my reincarnation buddy. It didn't take long to find her, and Kei was still glaring in Leith's direction while she stood near Minato-san and Obi. But, once my eyes landed on her, she jolted once before meeting my stare. Her chakra sensing must've told her I was looking. Still. Her expression spoke volumes of how much she was caught off guard by the situation, and she simply shrugged when meeting my stare.

The message in her eyes was still obvious.

 _It's up to you_.

Really?

Hisako lightly pushed the back of my head. **Leith's still waiting, dear.**

Oh. Right.

I turned back to my older sister figure, took a breath, and blurted it out as nicely as I could. Because I couldn't think of any other compromise. "A-As long as Nii, Papa, and Team Minato get to come along too, then okay! I'll go!"

Leith-nee bounced me, lighter this time. "…Squirt," she said after a small pause, "That doesn't answer the question. Do _you_ want to come along?"

My heart beat once. "Um. Yeah?" was my hesitant squeak back, because I was not expecting that response. "But I don't want to go without my family because I haven't seen them in seven months, Leith-nee, so as long as they're invited to your wedding too, then yes?"

I probably shouldn't have made it sound like a question. Even then, I could've sworn I heard Jack-nii let out an affectionate, "Awwwww," in time with Papa's audible snort, just as Leith-nee smiled softly. "Tomo, I _was_ going to invite everyone. It's all mandatory invitations anyways, so you don't have to worry about being separated from your folks again." She brought me close for a cheek rub, jostling her hat all the while, and I tried not to blush. "I just can't let ya leave without some family time of our own, Chickadee~"

Yep. The heat was on again. I couldn't even stutter a question at the new nickname as Leith-nee gave one last bounce in the carry-hug. "Now! Ninja!" She paused before adding, "And the one Marine."

"Hey!"

Leith-nee continued on while ignoring Jack-nii's outburst. "I'll be taking Princess for a few days! Just look for the Whitebeard Pirates by next Sunday!"

"WHAT," Obito protested loudly, and that was all I got before Leith-nee was _running_ like her pants were on fire, and my stomach was promptly flipping. Hisako had dropped her vacuum in exchange for loud, unrepentant laughter, and I could've sworn I saw _cards_ flying in the air behind my sister figure as she ran, leaving a trail of literal crumbs in her wake. "TOMO-CHAN JUST GOT KIDNAPPED!" was all I heard before my mind promptly went into the thought process that was _how_ to stop the incoming vomit. Aaaaah.

"L-Leith-neeeeeeeee," was the pitiful whine from my lungs as she kept running, my arms already winding around her neck for dear life because I didn't want to _fall_ , aaaaaaah, "I-I'm motion sick!"

"Finally got out of there!" was her exuberant cheer, as if she didn't even mind that I was about to throw up on her shoulder at any moment, instead jumping over the nearest obstacle that was a big rock. For some reason. "Never thought I'd have to kidnap my bridesmaid, but desperate times call for desperate measures! And besides!" She bounced me again, jostling my stomach a little to make me open my mouth, much to my inner panic, but once I even moved my lips, she moved her hand that was on my shoulders to instead pop a small thing into my mouth. "I said I can't have ya leaving just yet, kiddo! We still need to have ya fitted for your dress!"

"Leith-nee, I'm happy, but wha—" was all I could get around what was quickly tasting like something spicy. "What's this?"

"Ginger drop," she said curtly, still running and it was only then that I realized that my stomach wasn't spouting random butterflies with the motion anymore. "To help curb the sickness. Besides, Princess," she turned her head to wink at me. "You wouldn't think your sister would just kidnap ya without _planning_ for this now, huh?"

"N-No!" I squeaked around the ginger drop, now starting to register something vaguely sweet on my tongue. "B-But how did you find out I was leaving~?"

Another wink and bounce. I still had to cling to her as she ran to wherever, tucking my nose into the crook between her neck and shoulder again. Aaaah, movement. "The walls have ears, Chickadee~! And hey! You didn't think I was gonna leave you among _Marines_ for these past few months without surveillance, didja?"

 **Huh,** Hisako hummed thoughtfully. **We didn't account for that.**

Um.

"Noooooo?" I squeaked in embarrassment and shock, because even with my stomach calmed, we were moving _really_ fast. Gosh, I missed everyone already. Leith-nee was already faster than _Jack-nii_ , and he was fast. "B-But, Leith-nee, where are we going~?"

"To meet the Family! Your sis wants to spend time with you before you go, and you just _gotta_ meet them!" Another jump, and my stomach flipped again. I tried not to swallow the ginger drop. "The old man and blue parrot, especially!"

 **Old man?**

"Blue…parrot?" I said around the drop, just as the ground seemed to shake. I held onto the ginger drop as best as I could by closing my mouth, but once Leith-nee landed somewhere, another hand was winding around my waist, squeezing, and I knew it wasn't my big sis.

"Hey, Spoons, don't be so rough with the kid. We have two days of sea travel on our hands." Wait.

"Oh, c'mon, Ace, she's okay, and the invitations have all been sent. Davy can handle the rest."

WAIT.

"If you say so," was the answer, and once Leith-nee sat down _somewhere_ and nudged me, I found myself getting lifted by someone else, and it was hard to hold back the squawk once I was up in the air again and looking down at freckles that belonged to one _Fire Fist Ace_. My big bro. Aaaaah. "Hey, Tomo!"

"A-Ace-nii! You're here too?" was my only reply back, and he laughed happily as soon as he flexed his right arm to promptly keep me up in the air like an airplane. With one hand. Whaaaa. I couldn't help the giggle back. "H-Hey! Where _are_ we going?"

"Where else, sweetie? To the Whitebeard Pirates!" Without even faltering, he pressed his feet to the bottom of what was obviously a yellow raft, or really a _boat_ , and I tried not to lurch back from the fire spouting off from his sandals, because _where the heck did that come from_. "We have a few days, so let's go!"

Leith-nee didn't need any commands to lower the obvious _sails_ behind her head.

 **Don't blame me if you regret this, dear.**

 _Huh?_

Hell. I didn't even have time to consider anything else before an engine roared to life with Ace-nii's flames and wind was blowing through my hair with the push of the boat's _wheels_. "TO THE SEA WE GO!" my big bro roared.

I freely admit. I kinda screamed a little. At least Ace-nii and Leith-nee were here, because it quickly became obvious they weren't going to stand for fear and started playing what felt like a roleplay with me being the airplane.

"C'mon, Tomo, up in the air, up in the air! We got ya!"

"Just relax, Tomo! Spoons can swim!"

"What's _that_ supposed to mean, Ace? Need me to do something else?"

…Yeah. It was fun. I would definitely have to apologize to Team Minato later.

* * *

My first introduction to Leith-nee and Ace-nii's crew was really different from how they first showed up in Nagareboshi Cafe two years ago.

What? Why are you staring at me like that?

…Okay, okay, not really. Leith-nee just did it all for me. Kinda.

"Alright, you lily-livered nerds! This is a special freakin' announcement!"

Just…well.

 **She** _ **had**_ **to lift you up, didn't she.**

 _Please don't bring it up like that, Hisako._

Ace-nii snickering near us did nothing to help. Nearby, someone clearly muttered, "Spoons is…not cursing, what the he—"

"Shut the fuck up!" Leith-nee interrupted, and I tried not to squeak once she lifted me _again_ , this time so I could sit on her shoulder. Or perch on it. _Somehow_. And holy shit, I was seeing _a hundred_ pirates, and we _were_ on the sea. Ehhhhhh? What had my life turned into? "Now. This cutie is Princess Tomoko, and y'all better say 'hi'!"

 **PFFFFTHA!** Hisako guffawed loudly. Ace-nii was still snickering.

I was already blushing up a storm as soon as my hand hesitantly raised in the air to wave. "H-Hi…?"

The following silence was _painful_. Ace-nii's hand on my head was really the only comfort I had, aside from Leith-nee's presence.

The first person to speak up in the apparent crew of the Whitebeard Pirates was a medium-height, gruff looking man, who gave me a single stare before putting a palm to his face, shaking his head. "Oh dear _god_ …" he bemoaned loudly through his fingers, "Leith, you can't just kidnap children, put her back…"

"Wait," spoke another man, this time with messy blond hair that reminded me of a pineapple. He even had a chest tattoo that was similar to the one Ace-nii had on his back. Huh? " _The_ Tomoko? The one that calls you sister?"

 **This is new.**

Leith-nee nodded happily, and it was with that motion that the rest of the men simply _beamed_ , and I tried not to flinch at the growing number of _smiles_ in my direction, because really, this was different from the crowds at Nagareboshi Cafe. This crowd had more than a _thousand_ heads from just looking out at the horizon alone. "Ooooooooh, Princess Tomoko! Welcoooooome!"

Hisako whistled in approval. **Respect. YES. This Princess thing is catching on quickly, and I like.**

" _Uguuuuu_ ," was the high-pitched noise that left my throat, and I found myself wrapping my arms around Leith-nee's neck to hug, closing my eyes from the embarrassment. "L-Leith-neeeeeee! Why did you introduce me as 'Princess'?!"

And yes. My voice cracked too.

I really missed my family now, because this attention was _whoa_.

"Eh?" was my big sister's answer, and she bounced me on her shoulder. "Cuz you are to me."

It was such a simple answer, but the heat was already on and I couldn't bear to look out towards the crowd of men who were already cheering my new nickname like it was a prayer to the gods. Hell, I could've sworn I heard someone mutter, "the littlest _sis_ …" like Jack-nii. It did not help the heart in any way.

Soon another pair of arms were winding around me, and it took all I had to not squawk and fidget like the kid I physically was as soon as my sandals found refuge on the ship deck floor, and I was looking up at another person. With his pink and purple kimono, along with the geisha-like hairstyle, I would've pegged him as a female if not for his rough hands and voice that gave it all away. "Oh, you poor sweet thing," was the remark, and I took a breath as soon as his hands smoothed out any wrinkles in my dress. "This foul brute doesn't have any manners."

Ace-nii chuckled as soon as Leith-nee protested above my head with a loud, "HEY!"

I wasn't expecting the man to reach into his kimono to pull out measuring tape. The sight of the small thing alone already had me relaxing, because it reminded me of Mama. "She wasn't too rough, was she, dear?" he was already extending the tape to my legs, nodding to himself enough to where I knew he was measuring me for something. Clothing? "Was the trip here alright? I know Ace can get a little… exuberant."

It wasn't that surprising that, this time, he gave a pointed look in my big bro's direction. Ace-nii only went, "Oi."

"I-I'm okay? Leith-nee and Ace-nii are okay too…" I went, voice cracking again because now he was measuring around my waist. "Um, and you're…"

"Izo." He looked up at me without even stopping his motions of measuring, smiling. "16th division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. It's nice to meet you, Princess Tomoko."

And now the oven was back on. "P-Princess?"

"You're the little sister of our two best crewmates, dear," was the calm answer, because now Izo-san was back to measuring my arms. "So, Princess."

 **He has a point.**

 _H-Hisako…_

"Jeez, Ace," another man snorted over Izo-san's head, actually reaching over to rest an arm around my big bro's shoulders. "You and Spoons just barely announced that you're getting hitched, and _already_ you adopted!"

"Um."

"Well," Ace-nii rested a hand on top of my hair, ruffling it. It was hard to miss Leith-nee's warm grin in my direction too. "She's a good little sis, ain't she?"

"YOU'RE NOT DENYING IT!" The entire crowd yelled back at him.

Ace-nii laughed again. I couldn't help covering my face. The heat was too strong here. Aaaaah.

"Awwwww. The littlest _sis_ …" went that same small voice in the corner of the large crowd.

This is how I lost track of my Marine caretaker and got to be known as the "Princess of the Whitebeards" on the side.

Heck. The wedding preparations hadn't even started yet. And with this…

"Sweetie, lower your hands. I can't measure your shoulders if you do that."

"Awww, Princess, don't worry, none of the crew will bite!" A pause before Leith-nee continued with a simple and scary, " _Right_?"

"NOT AT ALL!"

I was _so_ screwed.


	15. Chapter 15: Side Story: Kaiza

Sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder if Nagareboshi Cafe had a penchant for attracting people from all across the universe. And yes, I mean "universe."

Because really, it was _through_ the cafe that I met Kei, another reincarnation and my best friend. It was _through_ the cafe that I met Leith-nee and Ace-nii, and they were _pirates_ from a place called "The New World." Now that meeting was an experience in of itself, just because they _weren't_ ninja, yet could still kick ass in their own ways.

It was again through the cafe that I met Kaiza-san.

Kaiza-san was different. The _pretty_ and _mysterious_ different, but still different. She felt different.

Her presence alone went almost unnoticed when the doors opened. It actually felt like any other day at work, playing songs for the customers resting at the tables nearby until she pulled a chair up near the piano.

I noticed her first with the smell of nikkuman. Mama's homemade pork buns, actually. And considering I had only apples earlier from a snack break, my stomach growled first before I could say anything else.

"U-Um, I'm sorry," was my only excuse at a response, because really, greeting a customer did not mean letting them _hear_ your stomach growl. "I-I haven't exactly had lunch yet, and I'm sorry I didn't notice you!" Because really, self-defense with the Gekkō Family should've made my awareness better. "Welcome to Nagareboshi Cafe! Is there anything I can do for you?"

Her response was a simple tilt of her head, short brown hair brushing her cheeks with the gesture. Her bangs were actually covering about 2/3rds of the right side of her face, just barely exposing what looked like a scar running past her right eye and down her cheek, ending at her rather angular jawline. As a result, I could only make eye contact with her left brown eye, but it was staring at me in a way that reminded me of _Kei_.

Wait, not really Kei…

 **Tomoko-chan, be careful.** I tried not to blink at the sound of Hisako's voice. **I'm getting some weird vibes from her.**

 _Really…?_

My Nobody only smiled and patted my head. **Just be careful, that's all I ask, dear. Knowing you, it should be okay.** She paused. **I hope.**

The scar on her cheek seemed to glow red for a moment, but I blinked and it went away. Was it just my imagination? "Hm. For me?" the lady said softly, voice questioning in a gentle manner that seemed more like Miyako-bachan. Almost silky-sounding. "Child, it sounds like you first need to care more for yourself than me." I was not expecting her to offer her plate of nikkuman in my direction, a small smile on her face. That explained the smell. She must've ordered that from the kitchen staff. "Please, eat."

Whether it was Hisako's warning or my own modesty, I found myself hesitating. "Are you sure, ma'am? It's _your_ food—"

GROWL.

I glanced down at my stomach as my face started to flood with heat. GROWL, it went again, louder this time. "Um."

"Your stomach seems to say otherwise, child." Still, there was a hint of amusement in the lady's voice as she again offered the plate in my direction. "At least take one. Please, I insist."

"Th-Thank you," I squeaked out, trying not to let my voice crack. It still came out high-pitched anyways, no thanks to the heat still occupying my cheeks, so I did my best to swipe the smallest bun without looking desperate. Nibbling on it did take some of the fire away, because my stomach could finally stop complaining.

The lady chuckled into her kimono sleeve, and eating gave me the chance to take note of her appearance. Aside from her partially hidden face, the navy yukata definitely complimented her hair. The golden lace accents on the yukata itself made her stand out, and adding in the sky blue obi, the outfit itself seemed like it would be something Mama would fawn over from how well put together it was. No wonder I thought of my aunt — the elegance of the lady's appearance was something that reminded me of _Miyako-bachan_ , and family had similar tastes.

 **Then again… you're not one to talk, dear.** Hisako gently pointed at me, and I tried not to flush red from looking at my own Sylveon-inspired attire. Nerdy, but bright pink… yeah.

Then again, performer things. And there was still one unanswered question.

"B-But," I tried to murmur around the tail-ends of a mouthful of pork bun. "Ma'am, is there anything I can do for you? Any song I can play for you?"

"Please, child," the lady smiled that same small smile again, "Call me Kaiza."

"K-Kaiza-san, then," I amended, swallowing the rest of the pork bun and wiping my mouth in quick succession, "You are at Nagareboshi Cafe, and I am the pianist here. I can play a song if you want me to…"

Kaiza-san blinked at me with that same brown eye, her expression changing to that of what looked like soft thoughtfulness. "Interesting…" she ducked her head before saying, "Then, a peaceful melody?" in a quiet voice, glancing at the piano before turning back to meet my stare. "I do not come to such crowded places every day, so…"

"O-Oh, it's okay!" I shook my head, putting on the best smile I could to make her feel comfortable. "I'll do what I can to help you feel better!"

"As long as you do not tire yourself, child." There was that same hint of amusement in her voice again, and that moniker… It wasn't every day for me to hear someone call me "child" like that. It wasn't condescending, but considerate. Perhaps the Third Hokage would use something like that, but still. "Could I at least get your name first?"

Now the embarrassment was coming back. "T-Tomoko. Hoshino Tomoko. I-It's nice to meet you, Kaiza-san!"

She was smiling a bit brighter now. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Tomoko." Her voice certainly sounded more relaxed now. "I look forward to your efforts then."

I nodded my head towards her as respectfully as I could before turning back to the familiar black-white keys.

 **A song to help an adult relax, an adult who** _**still**_ **is giving off those vibes?** Hisako summoned a book to her side, flipping through its pages furiously. **How about…** she raised a pointer finger. **InuYasha?**

That was an idea. I could already see the images in my mind to start playing.

 _Every Heart_ was a great choice.

Playing the song itself started off the same, but as time went on, for some reason, it felt like my chakra was going _places_. It was still stretching out as always, as Kei had noted so long ago, but then at one point, it felt like it was _disappearing_ in the air. As if something was taking it. It wasn't enough to be bad, I still had plenty to avoid chakra exhaustion, but this was a first.

Maybe it was the day hanging over me?

It was only when the song ended and I opened my eyes that Kaiza-san was looking at me, a note of what looked like concern in that brown eye. "Tomoko, are you alright?"

I don't even know when she started resting a hand over one of mine, but I couldn't help but note the calluses in her grip. They felt soft, but still different from the ninja calluses I was used to from people like Kei and Kakashi. Had she been in fights before?

"I-I am, but why?" A yawn was already leaving my lips unintentionally. "Just a bit tired, but maybe it's just the day… a lot of my energy goes into my piano after all…!"

 **Yeah, no shit.** Hisako deadpanned.

Still, Kaiza-san let out a small sigh of relief before smiling. "Alright. Maybe you should take a break later, Tomoko. I would be more than happy to take you up on that."

Another yawn left my lips. "S-Sure…"

Her smile alone was a good enough reward for me. Even with the strange thing with my chakra, at least she was looking better. It was good enough.


	16. Chapter 16: Beauty in Scars

_Summary_ : Long before the wedding and the ninja, a pianist accidentally sees something she wasn't supposed to and tries to help out yet again. Even if she doubts herself through it. Her caretakers are human too.

* * *

Inspired by a certain post from ask-lieutenant-wendy, and the resulting feels. I apologize in advance for any more feels from this piece. **Trigger warnings** apply for implied verbal abuse in flashbacks.

The theme for this piece is _I Lived_ from One Republic. Originally rec'd by Lang. :) Please enjoy.

* * *

Wendy-nee was someone I saw around the Marine base often. Her big broad shoulders and blonde ponytail were dead ringers for her presence. Plus the swinging hugs. If Jack-nii was fast on his feet and quick to give forehead kisses, Wendy-nee was all about hugs. Big, warm, all-encompassing hugs. The simple fact that she could lift both me _and_ Jack-nii with no problems was already a medal of honor in her book.

I could be called "ignorant" or "naive" for loving her as much as Jack-nii, simply because I _didn't_ know that much about her. All that she was to me, even then, was Wendy-nee, the tallest and strongest woman I could have as a caretaker aside from Mama and Kushina-nee. The other Marines seemed to have a positive enough image of her, considering she took on more work than Jack-nii himself. Her "Lieutenant" ranking already had me looking up to her. She was awesome, and there was no other words for her.

But in a way, those callings of my behavior? They were right.

I had no clue about anything. I didn't know anything. Just like Vy. Silly, ridiculous, _reckless_ Vy.

The scar on Wendy-nee's back was something I don't think I was supposed to see. In fact, it was totally by accident.

"W-Wendy-nee, I'm sorry for barging in, I just have some paperwork for you from Jack-nii—"

I couldn't even finish my sentence because of how barging into the room on an impromptu delivery-run ended up just as you thought it did. Even if I did knock first, I probably should've waited a few extra seconds before twisting the doorknob.

The small glimpse I did get of Wendy-nee's bare back was of a dark brown scar cutting through her shoulder blades and the middle of her spine before ending at the top of her waist. It was, to be honest, worrying.

I didn't even realize I was making eye-contact with shocked purple eyes. _Wendy-nee's_ purple eyes.

She had just put her head and hands through her new undershirt, but the recognition in her eyes was unmistakable.

Hisako said something first, reaching out towards me. **Tomoko-chan—**

"Um," I said intelligently instead, because I did _not_ mean in the slightest to accidentally walk into her changing. At all. Even if it was just a shirt. "I'm s-sorry."

"T-Tomoko-chan," she said, jaw clenched from the sound of her voice. "Just put the papers down on my desk nearby, okay?" She immediately slipped on the undershirt, covering what could be seen of that dark scar, but from the cold of the office, I already knew something was wrong. Her smile wasn't even real either when she finally turned to me. It was fake, more so when it was on _Wendy-nee_ 's face. "Is that all you needed to bring along?"

"Y-Yeah," was all that could leave my lips, because even with the shirt on, whenever I blinked, I couldn't get the image of that _dark line_ out of my mind. The worry was already running through my veins enough to where I didn't even realize how insensitive I was being until the question was already coming out of my mouth, voice and all. "But, Wendy-nee, um. A-Are you _okay_?"

"Huh?" That fake smile in my direction finally dropped for pure, unadulterated shock, and the look alone had my gut drop to what felt like pitch black _cold_. Wendy-nee was shocked, and at just me asking. Or maybe it was how I had seen something I shouldn't have, and the question acknowledged that fact with that same innocent insensitivity. It felt like one or the other, at least.

Then that fake smile came back. "Oh, Tomoko-chan, I'm fine!" Wendy-nee waved a hand in the air, figuratively waving off whatever worries she could perceive from me before walking over.

 **Tomoko-chan,** _ **breathe—**_

I didn't even realize I was flinching until her hand landed on top of my head, ruffling my hair. "Sweetie." Wendy-nee was still smiling, but her purple eyes were now shining with something I couldn't put a finger on. "It's okay. Wendy's fine, and there's nothing to worry about." She then exposed her teeth to show me a warm grin. "Just run along back to Jack now, okay? Wendy's just going to need some time to herself."

I inhaled as slowly as I could.

 **Oh.** Hisako said softly.

 _She sounds just like Dad._

 **Judai?**

 _No_. Dad _, Hisako. Dad._

" _Everything's going to be okay, Be Vy, promise."_

My Nobody was already falling silent as soon as the thought had flooded us both. My voice was already cracking. "A-Are you sure, Wendy-nee?"

"Jeehehe," she chuckled, still resting a hand on my hair. "Yes, Tomoko-chan. I'm sure. So don't worry about me," her hand slid past my hair and landed on my shoulder, turning me around to face the door in quick succession. "And run along now!"

A small push was all it took to put distance between us. I couldn't help but turn my head and look back at her, and Wendy-nee was still smiling. That faked smile.

From habit, I nodded in her direction before running off towards Jack-nii's office. It wasn't best to pry. I didn't want to cry.

* * *

Jack-nii himself was still stuck at his desk, piles of paperwork flanking both of his sides when I finally came around his doorframe. The memories were getting harder to hold back now, and a part of me wanted to kick myself for even bringing them back. I wasn't in Konoha, where Kei and Obi could immediately come to my aid if I was triggered. I wasn't in Nagareboshi Cafe, where Mama and Papa could shield me from any bad customers, or among my friends who could help me with training my mind and body into being stronger.

I was in this Marine base, with Jack-nii, who had _no_ clue about my reincarnation status, and I did not want to cry in front of him.

Hence, taking in as much air as I could before coming back in. "J-Jack-nii, I'm back."

My voice must've been the first giveaway, because he looked up from his current work with a tired face that immediately morphed into that of concern. "Tomo-chan, welcome ba— _sweetie?"_ I wasn't expecting him to slide his chair back to stand up and walk over to me in quick succession, and it took all I had to not flinch when he came over and rested his hands on my shoulders, kneeling down to my height. "Oh, sweetie, what's wrong?"

I didn't even know when my vision started to blur. Goddammit. Even Mr. Hat had taken on the words of, "Oh No," at my state. _Goddammit_ , I was pathetic. "J-Jack-nii, I…"

"Tomo-chan, baby, what happened?" Jack-nii's hands were already reaching up to cup my cheeks, wiping the tears away before they could start waterfalls. "What's wrong? What made you cry?"

"J-Jack-nii…i-it's not _me_ …" Now the sobs were coming out of my throat. _Goddammit_. "H-How do you help someone when, when—" I couldn't help but hiccup, "when they don't want to be helped? How do you help someone when you don't know what's wrong?"

The memories of _him_ and _that_ Incident were still strong. Even if I didn't want them to, they were _still here_ and _still coming back_. I wanted to hit myself so much more now.

Even with the library starting to get flooded from the memory backwash, Hisako didn't hesitate to bring me into a mental hug. **Oh, Tomoko-chan. It's not your fault. It never was.**

The images of _Ty_ and my past brother floating around in the library didn't help anything.

" _You ruined everything!"_

" _How could you…?"_

Without even looking up, the sympathy and understanding from Jack-nii's gaze was undeniable. "Tomo-chan," his thumbs brushed away more tears. "Did something happen with Wendy? Is that why this is so important to you?"

I couldn't even hide the shuddering of my shoulders. "I-I think I saw something I shouldn't have, Jack-nii, a-and I-I just, I just…" A lump was already surfacing in my throat. Frick, I was already rambling. "I wanna do something to make her feel better, but I don't know what to do or _how_ to do it, and, and, andI'mafraidofmessingupagain, andWendy-nee'sbeentryingherbest, so—"

Jack-nii squished my cheeks softly. "Tomo-chan, sweetie," his voice was soft, just like that one time he found me in that small corner. "You need to breathe. I can't understand you right now."

I inhaled as much air as I could past the lump in my throat. "I-I'm sorry. I-I just…" My voice cracked.

"It's okay, sweetie, it's okay." Lifting me was apparently effortless to my caretaker too, because I was left clinging to him as he walked back to his desk, ignoring the paperwork to instead sit in his chair and rock me back and forth. "Focus on breathing, then we can talk."

I did that. It wasn't much, but I could at least hold my breath for a few moments before exhaling. The process was simple. Breathe in, hold it for a few seconds, then breathe out. Even if said method wasn't the best, considering my hands were still shaking from what might as well have been another _trigger_ moment, but Jack-nii's rocking was helpful. Having him _here_ was helpful.

His hug reminded me of everyone back home.

Once the tears were drying, Jack-nii's hands moved from my shoulders to wipe at my cheeks again. "What happened, sweetie?" his voice was still soft, too quiet for anyone else but me to hear. "Did something happen with Wendy?"

The ten-million-ryo question. This wasn't even _Ten Million Ryo, But_ anymore, because I wasn't in Konoha with Hayate and the others playing that game. This was reality, and I needed to answer. The image of that scar was still flying around in my head, much to Hisako's chagrin. "I-I…" my voice was cracking again, but I tried my best to not shrink on myself. "I think I saw one of Wendy-nee's scars."

Jack-nii's hand on my cheeks stilled. "Scar?"

"I-I didn't mean to, at all, Jack-nii," but even then, the protest seemed weak on my tongue. "But it was there, on her back, and she said it was okay, but it didn't _feel_ okay, she looked upset, and I want to apologize and tell her she's still pretty and all that, but I don't know how—" my throat clogged this time. "I don't want to _hurt_ her, Jack-nii. I don't."

My Marine caretaker inhaled softly. His hands moved back to my shoulders to squeeze me in the hug all over again. "Tomo-chan," he said again, softer now. "I don't think you'd hurt her. Wendy's been through a lot of things, but I don't think she's upset at _you_. Maybe you came in at a bad time." He paused before adding a quiet, "We all have our own scars, sweetie. Not all of them can be healed immediately."

"Th-That doesn't change the fact that I intruded on her personal space, Jack-nii!" I wasn't even expecting myself to yell, but the darkness was festering in my gut again and it _hurt_. "I messed up, and, and, I…I…" My fingernails dug into my palms as I tried not to shrink into myself. "I don't want to mess up again. I don't want to lose her. Or you, or anyone else."

" _What is wrong with you?!"_

Ty said that, so long ago. I was half-expecting Jack-nii to say it too, just because of the darkness festering in my gut like the virus it was.

The rocking stopped as a soft pressure landed on top of my hair, and I tried not to jolt. That kiss was not seen coming. "Tomo-chan, you're _not_ going to lose us." Jack-nii's voice was filled with confidence this time, and my heart beat against my ribs. "Never. The worst you can do is hide away, and you know Jack-nii and Wendy-nee are great at Hide-and-Seek."

 **Haha.** Hisako was shaking her head in fond exasperation. **He had to bring in the game reference, didn't he.** Still, she was smiling. **He's just like Kei and the others back home.**

The doubt was still stuck in my gut, even with my heart leaping in my throat. "B-But Jack-nii, I'm…"

 _Horrible, a girl who hurt people before, and who left her family behind, and you're okay with someone like me who's—_

"Fine and still an adorable angel," he interrupted, cutting that thought off right in its tracks. I found myself shocked silent once he swooped down and pressed another kiss, this time, to my exposed forehead through my bangs. "Don't worry, Tomo-chan. Wendy's still Wendy, scar or not. Upset or not. And we all have things happen, stressful and difficult. The most _you_ do is give us all life in this base." With his cheek still resting on my hair, I could feel his smile without even having to wiggle to see it. "You do a lot more than you think, sweetie. Your worry just proves how much you're not a bad person. And if you're still worried, Jack-nii can come along with you to cheer Wendy up."

 **There it is.** Hisako was grinning. **There's the words we both needed.**

My heart was going to give out at this rate. And here I thought I had cheese issues. "J-Jack-niiiiii…" I wrapped my arms around his neck to bury my nose into his shoulder. Even with my mind, I still felt like a little girl, and the physical influences didn't help anything. "Uuuuu…" The words of " _Thank you"_ were on the tip of my tongue, but were sufficiently _lost_ in the next round of Tear Waterfalls.

Jack-nii still rocked me back and forth, smiling above my head. "It's okay, Tomo-chan. It's okay." His fingers brushed through my hair. "We can stop by the kitchen and make Wendy's favorite omurice for her later. Just cry it out now. I got ya."

"Waaaaaaaaah…! I-I'm sorryyyyyyyy…"

Another kiss landed on my forehead. "It's okay, Tomo-chan, it's okay."

This time, I could believe it.

The moment alone solidified another reason why I loved, and _still_ love, my caretaker Jack-nii.

* * *

With a heavy plate of omurice in my hands, Jack-nii took it upon himself to knock on the door of Wendy-nee's office. A few seconds later, along with a confident smile sent my way from my caretaker, then we could hear a voice.

"Coming!"

 **Tomoko-chan, deep breaths now. Stay calm.** Hisako then paused while mopping the floors of the library. Because memory overflow equaled rain in here, apparently. **If you have to, sniff the food and take it in like** _ **Shokugeki no Soma**_ **. Without the food-gasm.**

Um. Yeah, that was an… idea.

I inhaled just as Wendy-nee opened the door, Lieutenant uniform and all, and the cape only made my breath catch in my throat. Gosh darn it. The words I had in my mouth immediately flew out to who knows where, and the saliva on my tongue didn't even last.

Wendy-nee looked awesome, but also very intimidating with that cape on.

"Jack? What's going on—" Wendy-nee swiveled her head downwards, and I tried not to freeze. Even with the bigger uniform, it was _still_ Wendy-nee. My other Marine caretaker. "Tomo-chan? Is that—"

Jack-nii nudged my shoulder with his hand. "Go on, Tomo-chan," was the quiet and proud whisper, and I held back the urge to run before thrusting the plate up in Wendy-nee's direction.

Rambles incoming, oh dear. "O-Omurice, for you, Wendy-nee!"

My eyes were scrunched closed from the anxiety, and it was with the weight being taken off my hands that I found the rambles finally coming out. In a very rushed, and almost incoherent manner if not for my taking a deep breath earlier. "S-Since I felt bad on walking in on you, Jack-nii had the idea of making omurice for you! You're still pretty no matter what scars you have, Wendy-nee, so IhopeIdidn'tmakeyoufeelbadoranything! You'reamazingandIloveyou!"

I didn't even know if I said the right thing, more so because Wendy-nee's scar was her business, and I had no room to ask where she got it.

Still.

Silence. The single response I got was silence.

Out of some kind of instinct, and Jack-nii's additional nudge towards my shoulder, I opened my eyes and looked up. Wendy-nee was still towering over me as always, but she was holding up the plate of omurice in both hands, staring at it like it was something otherworldly. Her purple eyes were wide, continuing to stare before snapping up and past it to meet my stare. "T-Tomo-chan…" she opened her mouth before closing it, removing one hand from the plate of omurice to rub the back of her neck. "Y-You didn't have to—"

"But I wanted to!" The whine wasn't even intentional, but it was coming out like that and there was no turning back. Wendy-nee for some reason was giving off nervous- _Kei_ vibes, and that didn't help anything. This lady deserved more because she was like that and I loved her too. "You're beautiful, tall, and strong, Wendy-nee, and I caught you off guard! You deserve something for that!"

There was a gasp nearby, and I glanced to my side only to see my other Marine caretaker press his right hand to his chest. "Ohmigod, my _heart_ ," Jack-nii said suddenly.

Wendy-nee was already blushing bright pink. "Sweetie…"

 _ **Go**_ **, Tomoko-chan.**

I didn't need any more encouragement. My legs were already pushing me forward to allow me to wrap my arms around Wendy-nee's legs and _hug_ her for all my arms were worth, because I was kid-short and couldn't reach any higher. "You're amazing, Wendy-nee, a-and I'm sorry I caught you like that. I-I know, I know I don't know anything about your scar or anything like that, but you and Jack-nii have done a lot for me, and, and I'm just glad that you're here, okay? You're pretty, you're strong, you're nice, and you're tall! A-And," I gulped my nervousness down before belting the last bit of cheese. "I love you too…"

Jack-nii cooed a soft, "Awwwww."

Wendy-nee was still stiff under my grip before there was a soft clatter of a dish being put down on a nearby table, and a hand landed on my head. I didn't have to look up to know it was Wendy-nee's hand. The hand that she was previously using to cover the back of her neck. "…Thank you, Tomo-chan." I politely didn't mention the wet droplets falling down on top of my hair. "Thank you."

I shook my head. "No, no, Wendy-nee. Thank _you_. And Jack-nii. I love you both a lot, okay?"

It was enough to prompt Jack-nii to scoop me up from the ground and tackle Wendy-nee in succession. Magic Card: Sudden Group Hug. A-Aaaaaaah.

"H-Hey, Jack!"

"You said you'd always be here to lift me up, Wendy! It's about time to return the favor!"

My Marine big sis was laughing above my head now. "Th-The omurice's going to go cold, Jack!"

"That's what microwaves are for!"

"Jack!"

I don't even know when I started happy-crying. Hisako was still cleaning up in the library, this time with a fond grin. **Y'know, Tomoko-chan. Even if they're not ninja, they're still good people. And you kept up your habit, y'know.**

I wiped at my face as much as I could mid-hug, because my caretakers had a tight grip. _O-Of what?_

 **You found another family. And that's good enough for now.**

I couldn't help the teary giggle and tight hug in return.

Wendy-nee was feeling better. That was good enough for me.

* * *

A few months later…

"So," Wendy said slowly, glancing over the group in question. One tall blonde adult male, who was a bit too hot for his age, one grumpy silver-haired boy, one loud black-haired boy, and one silent black-haired girl. She kept back an exasperated smile. "Tomoko-chan got carted off. By _pirates_?"

Jack let out a sigh, smiling wryly. "Yep. And just when her family came by to get her."

The silent black-haired girl crossed her arms, looking away with a clearly grumpy face, shouldering her kodachi all the while. The black-haired boy patted her shoulder, which warranted a small smile, but it said enough.

"Think we could borrow a boat?" Tomo-chan's apparent father spoke up instead, not even fazed by her disbelieving stare in his direction. It must've been the green flak jacket that threw Wendy off. Or the two-toned brown hair. Then again, considering the other Marines and pirates that could've shown up…

Jack grinned at her, raising his DSLR for extra emphasis. "How do you feel about tagging along to a wedding with the Whitebeard Pirates, Wendy? Tomo-chan's the bridesmaid, I think!"

Her jaw dropped.

"WHAT?"


	17. Chapter 17: To Be a Princess

_Summary_ : The origin behind a name, and the pianist reflects before asking the Queen of Spades why the name is still applicable in the present day.

* * *

Because I got inspired by _Akatsuki no Yona,_ or Yona of the Dawn, and wanted to write this. My dad in real life used to call me "Princess" when I was little, and considering the previous chapters of this story…well, I wanted to address it at one point.

Themes consist of Scamper's piano cover of _Having Lived_ from _To the Moon_ ; Fitany's piano cover of the first opening of _Akatsuki no Yona_ and/or the short version of said opening. Please enjoy and happy holidays, everyone~ :)

* * *

"Hey, don't you think Tomo-chan is like a princess?"

My hands automatically stilled around the newest cleaned dish in my hands because that was totally out of the blue. "Eh?"

Kei and Hayate had shared one look mid-spar with their bokken before Kei spoke up with a loud, "What do you mean by that, Obito?"

Obito twirled a kunai around absentmindedly, shrugging. "We're all aiming to be ninja, right? And here we are, with Tomo-chan being the only civilian in our friend group! And Judai-jichan does call her 'Hime' all the time." The grin he was wearing was strangely thoughtful, at least from my vantage point at the kitchen sink, washing the latest mess that was baking. "So, don't you think when we're all grown up and cool from all the missions, Tomo-chan could hire us to be bodyguards?! It'd be awesome!"

Hayate glanced at me before smiling widely, lowering his bamboo sword all the while. "Tomo-nee _is_ pretty enough to be princess material!"

My face was already flooding with heat as my jaw clenched from the shock. "Um. Eh?"

Hisako was snickering.

As if echoing my Nobody, Kei snorted, shouldering her bokken with ease. "Dunno, Obito, Tomo-chan doesn't really have enough money to be 'royalty' material."

"Still!" Obito huffed loudly through his nose, fist pumping all the while. "Tomo-chan's got the chops to be a princess! She helps us all a lot without needing to fight! Isn't that good enough?"

"I'm all for that, Obito!" was Hayate's accompanying cheer.

Sure, it was an innocent enough joke, but for some reason, a bit of darkness boiled in my gut at that.

" _Without needing to fight."_

That was true — in a way, I was a princess, wasn't I? Choosing to be a civilian, yet being around ninja nonetheless. It was a nice idea in a fairy tale, but in the Narutoverse, with the constant threat of death…

Hisako simply patted my head once the snickering died down. She knew. She always did.

"I dunno, Haya-kun," was my outward musing instead, and I did my best to squash that darkness with a small smile. The heat was still on my face, but I could pull off being nonchalant. At least, I hoped I could. Vy could do it, to some extent, thanks to public-speaking skills. As her reincarnation, maybe I could improve on that? "The idea of being a princess alone and stuck in a tower doesn't exactly fit Nagareboshi Cafe's pianist that much."

To my surprise, Hayate and Obito both swiveled their heads to stare in my direction with almost matching pouts. "But you _are_ our pianist, Tomo-chan/Tomo-nee!"

Hisako whistled in passing admiration. **They even spoke in unison. That's ninja for you.**

 _But Haya-kun isn't a ninja yet, Hisako…_

Even then, the smile on my face was staying. "Um, thank you?" It didn't stop the heat from coming back to make my cheeks feel like a furnace though, darn. I lowered the dish in my hands for it to rest in the dryer. "But really, Hayate, Obito," the two immediately dropped their kicked-puppy eyes to meet my gaze with more focused stares in return, "I don't want to be just a princess who watches you all from the sidelines all the time. I want to help you all as much as I can. I-I dunno about _fighting_ , but I can try?"

The stutter wasn't even intentional. But then again, I couldn't even say what I was fully thinking because of the situation at hand.

 _I don't want to be useless and watch you all kill yourselves in the name of "protecting." Especially for me._

It all went unsaid.

Without meaning to, I glanced over at Kei. She simply smirked back at me, shrugging. It felt the same as Hisako. It felt like she knew. "You're doing _fine_ , Tomo-chan," was the starting point, and the glint of understanding was reassuring to see in Kei's black eyes. And then she broke it with the next remark. "And hey, you're getting better at your endurance. Mom's been proud for the past day."

The immediate image of the last training incident flashed through the back of my eyes, and the heat was coming back even more now, with a vengeance. "K-Kei. I'm hoping I'm making a fool of myself because you did _not_ just reference that training incident."

"Oh?" Kei was still smirking. The cheeky— "I think I just did."

"Huh?" Obito was glancing between us as soon as Hayate hid a snicker. "What incident?"

"Oh, that's right!" Kei went along in a sing-song tone, pointing her bokken upwards with the thought. "You don't know, Obito! Might as well fill you in." She turned away from me so that my glare could only burn measly pinholes in her hair, but the hidden smirk in my direction was _still_ obvious. Was she really going to— "It was all last week—"

I immediately wiped my hands on a nearby towel, gaping. She was definitely going to spill. Yeah, _nope_. "KEI, DON'T YOU EVEN DARE!"

"When Tomo-chan used her chakra a bit too much and promptly jumped a few meters in the air from chakra-control exercises!"

 **BAHAHAHAHA!**

My heart leapt up in my chest as Hisako promptly fell over in her newest armchair from her newest bout of laughter. Yep, my Nobody was lost to the hilarity of my most recent memory. Woo. "KEI! THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A _SECRET_! DON'T JUST BLURT IT OUT!"

Hayate's laughter was one thing, considering he was _there_ when I did my impromptu jump-flying lesson. Obito's was another, and that was embarrassing for its own reasons. But even when running over and weakly batting Kei's shoulders with my fists out of embarrassment, my reincarnation buddy couldn't stop laughing.

Even at my expense, that laughter was something I found myself missing.

* * *

"…Leith-nee?"

"Hm?" My older pirate sister hummed softly around a hair ribbon, her hands fiddling with my hair. "Fwat, Twomwo?"

A bead of sweat rolled down my cheek as I tried not fidget under her careful stare. Even when called a "brute" by Izo-san, it didn't change the fact that Leith-nee was meticulous. She could catch onto things faster than _Mama_ sometimes, and that said a lot. Why else would she try to fiddle with my short hair in an attempt to style it? A part of me wanted to see her in a small staring contest with Kei, but until the ninja came to the Whitebeard Pirates themselves with a ship… that was something else for another day. "Could I ask you something?"

Leith-nee did her best to not spit out the ribbon held between her lips, instead taking it out of her mouth to thread through her right fingers as her left hand brushed through my hair. I did my best to sit as still as possible in front of her, as to not disturb her. "Go on."

"Back on the first day, when you introduced me to everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates?"

Leith-nee took up some strands of my black hair, brushing out the tangled ends. No doubt from the sea water that splashed up on the ship on the way here. "Yeah?"

I tried not to wince at the pain and continued. "You called me, 'Princess,' because I was one to you…but, um, Nee, what _kind_ of Princess am I to you really?"

Hisako visibly paused her cleaning of the Oblivion Keyblade. Because she had just gone out on another cleaning spree, and apparently encountered zombies. So lots of memory blood. Eurgh. **Huh?** She then snickered. **First 'Nii', now 'Nee' for Leith? Of course, dear. Of** _ **course**_ **.**

The hand brushing through the tangles paused. "' _Nee,'_ huh… hehe." Leith-nee's fingers started up the brushing all over again, almost gentler this time. "What do you mean by that, Princess?"

I bit the inside of my lip. I didn't even know if it was from the embarrassment or an upcoming pout, considering I just dropped yet another nickname. "It was an honest question…" Out of habit, I found myself twiddling my thumbs. "I mean, Nee, back at home, Obi and Kei were talking about my being a Princess, but I don't want to be a princess that watches everyone go away, so…" I un-clenched my jaw enough so that my teeth wouldn't make a cut in my cheek from the biting. "What made you think I was a Princess?"

Leith-nee's hand paused again. "What makes ya think that a Princess is all alone, Tomo?"

I tried not to tense instead. That was not expected. "I-It just seems like that, Leith-nee, in story books and in real life. A princess gets to see so many different things, but only from the window of her tower, never really experiencing the world, and constantly has to wait for someone to save her. I…" my heart clenched at the thought, but I went with the analogy anyway, "I don't want to be a lonely, useless princess like that."

 _I don't want to be a princess who ends up all alone with friends and family dead._

Hisako simply patted my head. She didn't have to say anything this time. Leith-nee on the other hand…

"Tomo…" The hand on my head lifted, and I tried not to jolt at the bristles of the _hairbrush_ brushing through my hair instead. "Princesses aren't always lonely, y'know. Even in a tower, a princess can do a lot of things for the people down below if she's aware of them." Fingers were brushing through the side of my hair not occupied by the hairbrush, and a shiver went up my spine at the feeling. It was nice, but it felt like there was something else here. "I call ya Princess because you're surrounded by so many people who love you. And even if ya could ascend to a tower and be by your lonely self, you find people anyways, trying to learn more and help more." A soft pressure landed on top of my head, and my cheeks were already flooding with heat. Did she just— "You help people as much as you can, even when ya don't have to. And that's why I call ya 'Princess'."

My heart swelled up to twice its size in my chest. "N-Nee…"

"A Princess does more than mope in her tower, Tomo," Another hand landed on my hair in quick succession after that, and I sat as still as possible again as fingers started to weave what felt like a hairstyle. "A Princess looks out for people beyond herself, and keeps _staying_ herself in spite of the world's bull—welp, the world's _trash_. And, ya know?"

"Huh?"

The hands in my hair pulled away, and I hesitantly rolled my shoulders only to feel the small _ponytail_ that made up what was originally my short hair. The hair ribbon from before tickled against the back of my neck, almost glowing with its soft periwinkle color. It was making up the bow that kept the hairstyle together, and I couldn't help but gape for a moment. "A Princess ain't defined by her surroundings. She's defined by what she does. And you are way more than you give yourself credit for, squirt." Arms wrapped around my waist to bring me into a hug from behind, and another pressure pressed to the top of my head. "I think ya Pops was all about calling you 'Hime' because you've seen a lot and still do what you can anyways. That's why you're 'Princess' to me."

I reached up and held one of Leith-nee's hands. "…Oh."

 **Nicer than you were making it out to be.** Hisako huffed through her nose. **We have to get you onto talking with people more, Tomoko-chan. Because your anxiety is making** _ **me**_ **anxious.**

" _Oh_? Is that all ya have to say, squirt? What happened to the talkative Chickadee that was jumping around on the bigger _Strider_ , hm?" A hand _moved_ , and I squeaked. She was _definitely_ aiming for my waist if I didn't know any better.

"Y-You're not going to get anything out of me if you _tickle_ , Nee!"

"That ain't going to stop me from trying!"

" _Neeeeeeeee!"_

My older sister figure simply cackled, squeezing me for extra mileage. "Not my fault that you're so open, Princess!"

"N-Neeeeeee, please don't — WAH!" Too late. I was officially trapped.

"Coochie-coochie-coo~!"

"N-Neeeeee, _hee hee hee,_ please doooooon't!"

"Never!"

Leith-nee didn't even get the chance to pick an outfit before Izo-san was barging in with a loud, "DON'T TORTURE THE POOR GIRL, LEITH! SHE HAS A FITTING SHE NEEDS TO DO!"

"Oh, live a little, Lipstick, you _wish_ you had a little sis like this squirt!"

"Th-That's NOT the point!"

The meeting with the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates itself took priority before any wedding plans apparently.

All I could hope for was that the "Princess" title was fitting, because I had no clue how to handle a large, bulky man hooked to an IV.


	18. Chapter 18: A Lily in Water

_Summary_ : The Princess finally meets the captain himself to put on a performance that reminds everyone why she's the Civilian Pianist in Konoha. Just in time for the ninja to reappear again. A few days is all that's left for the wedding.

* * *

This chapter was inspired by Abalisk's work on _Flight of the Albatross_ , because I was finally able to review all available chapters. Rambling does something. ;p

The theme this time is _Ashita Kuru Hi_ from CLAMP's Kobato. Because it's a song that Tomoko remembers very well from her time as Vy, and the soft music matches the title of this chapter.

On the other hand, there's one piano cover that Tomoko plays here that I need to highlight. Specifically, _the_ piano song that started everything when it came to my writing, being Animenz Piano Sheets' famous cover of _This Game_ from No Game No Life. Because it's about time the song comes into this universe. The lyrics mentioned in-chapter come from AmaLee's shorter English cover of the song.

Please enjoy.

* * *

 _Tap, tap, tap._ My sandals seemed to only _echo_ in the hallway as I walked, barely masked by Leith-nee's own boots, paving the trail. A part of me really wished I had my kimono dress on for the sake of familiarity, but Izo-san was nice enough to sew together a simple white-collared blouse and matching pink skirt to accompany my white hair ribbon.

So, walking forward to meet someone I only just heard about, trying _not_ to run out and jump off the plank and into the sea in my new clothes.

"Princess, ya don't have to be so shy. Dad's a good guy. He's not gonna hurt ya."

 **Easy for you to say,** Hisako said bitingly. **You're** _ **tall**_ **. My charge is** _ **short**_ **and anxious.**

My mouth, both mental and real, felt dry as I reached over to grip Leith-nee's nearest sleeve. I didn't know what to say, even when she was being the most reassuring person in the entire area. Drunk or not, she was still Leith-nee. Her hand was close by, but the nervousness made me hesitate in taking it. Plus the sweat budding in my palms. It wasn't enough to be gross, sure, but it was still something I was unsure about. A lot of me wanted to _run_ and avoid this meeting entirely, but I knew I couldn't.

Every single part of me knew this was going to happen.

Why couldn't I be calm for once? I was nervous when meeting _Kei_ , nervous when Kakashi and Minato-san first came around the cafe, nervous when nearly crashing into Obito and Rin, and still _nervous_ around Jack-nii and Leith-nee too when they came into my life.

Why couldn't I _stop_ being nervous?

Instead of answering, my Nobody reached over and sympathetically patted my hair. It was a nice reassurance.

Without raising my head, I knew Leith-nee was giving me a contemplative stare. "Princess?"

I opened my mouth, just to find that same haunting dryness in my throat. "…Fwah," was the hoarse noise that left my lips. Instead of amending _that_ , I closed my mouth immediately and gripped her sleeve a bit tighter, walking a bit faster to follow her walking pace. It wouldn't be good to fall behind now. I couldn't talk, but I could at least walk.

"Ah," was all she said on my quietness, before Leith-nee too fell silent for a few moments. I wasn't expecting her to suddenly stop walking. A split second was all I had to avoid bumping into her completely, but I ended up nudging her anyways, just enough for— Huh? "Tomo."

Wait. When did she take my hand?

I glanced at my left arm, and sure enough, the hand that I was originally using to tug on Leith-nee's sleeve was now being held up in her larger and firmer _hand_. Gripping tightly, covering mine entirely, and overall _warmly_. "Tomo. Could ya look up at me?"

The saliva wet my tongue as it suddenly registered in my head that I was holding my breath. And that I had my eyes closed. Opening them didn't take too much, and out of some kind of habit, I raised my head to look past my bangs. Leith-nee's face was all I could see, and she was smiling softly. When did she kneel down…? "There ya are, Chickadee," she cooed softly, and the familiar heat was coming back to my cheeks, by now a habit I had completely given up on changing. Wait, not really habit. It was more of a nervous quirk that came with _open_ affection at this point. "Something on your mind?"

"L-Leith-nee?" The name sounded like sawdust had been spit out by _Minnie Mouse_ from the mere echo of my voice. The big echoey hallway didn't help anything.

I was so horrible.

" _Oh."_ Her eyes narrowed in that slight edge that was reminiscent of Mama's serious stare, the same smile a bit wobblier now. She squeezed my hand tightly. "Tomo. You're worried, huh?"

Bulls-eye. I could feel my bottom lip quiver as I ducked my head, already feeling ashamed. "Uh-huh." It took everything I had to not stutter, a small achievement in the face of everything else. "I'm trying. Not to, to be worried, I mean. Nervous. Instead. Um. Yeah."

That reply still sounded pathetic no matter how many times I ran it through my head. It still came out _pathetic_.

 **Meditation and/or a time-out to breathe would be a nice idea.** Hisako added softly. **Social cues aren't exactly working right now.**

Leith-nee's brown eyebrows furrowed, her face already looking grumpy if not for the thoughtful frown on her face. She huffed, glancing away to mutter something under her breath. "—mn it, no cursing, and have to be short," was all I could hear, and then I was being _tugged_ forward to collide with a warm chest. My arms were frozen at my sides as I could vaguely make out the scent of something fruity and salty, like Jack-nii's bandana. It took another second for my mind and heart to make the connection that my big sis was _hugging_ me.

My hands were shaking, but I raised them to grasp what I could of the back of my sister's shirt. "…Nee?"

A hand landed on the back of my head, fingers already threading through my hair. It felt nice. "Tomo, it's okay. You're not in trouble. Dad's wanted to meet ya for a _looooong_ time." She pulled away just slightly to make eye contact, and the breath was already stalling in my throat at the _warmth_ in those hazel eyes. Sure, I could still see the sassy confidence that was indicative of the pirate in those eyes, but the warmth in the hazel — it…

 **It's like Kei? Like Jack? Like everyone else back home?**

I opened my mouth, just to find nothing all over again.

My left hand was still being occupied by Leith-nee's right, and she squeezed with a grip that I could only call "gentle." If not for the fact that this was _Leith_ , the pirate that was known to throw down with anyone, I would've accepted the gesture for what it was immediately. But that smile. "Princess. Ya may not realize it, but you've done a lot for little ol' me." Her smile was strong, unwavering. "With that, Dad got curious, and he wanted to meet ya. That's it." She leaned forward, and I sucked in a breath once we touched noses. "Just be your cute little self. Honest and way too sweet. Dad'll love you."

There was the heat. I didn't need it to come back, but it was still coming back anyways. All over again. "N-Nee…"

"There ya go!" she rubbed noses with me like those small Eskimo kisses from the movies, grinning. "There's that cute smile that makes you our Princess."

I didn't even realize I was grinning back. The heat was still on my face, and I knew I was red, but the smile was there. Plus the giggle leaving my throat because _gosh_ rubbing noses felt so tingly and ticklish. "Y-You're really silly, Leith-nee, you know that?"

She threw her head back to laugh heartily, her left hand going to rest on her hip. "Comes with the job, squirt! Comes with the job!" It didn't take long for her to zoom back in on me to grin that same goofy grin, even when standing back up to full height. She was still squeezing my left hand with her right. "So, you ready?"

 _With you? Yeah. I think I am._

Instead of saying that, I nodded and pulled on her hand to give her a proper hug in return. I couldn't go without doing that first. Screw being short.

My luck apparently guaranteed my finding good people to quell the worries.

* * *

"So. Any bright ideas on how we're going to get to a ship that's floating on the blue sea to the middle of _nowhere_?" A map was already getting unavoidable wrinkles from the tight grip.

"Judai, I don't think complaining is going to help."

"Says the guy who was stuck making the transport seals? _Just_ when my daughter was kidnapped again?"

Minato rolled his eyes and sighed.

"At least it was by someone we _knew_ , Judai-jichan," Kakashi added sarcastically. "And just after Tomoko 'gave permission.' We could go waterwalking."

Minato sighed again, already sounding like a man who needed a nap more than anything else. " _No_ , Kakashi. We would risk chakra exhaustion." He paused, then added a small thought of, "Maybe I could use Thunder God on all of us." A beat, and then he sighed. "…I didn't get the chance to put a seal marker on her."

" _Really_ , Sensei. _Really_."

Jack meanwhile put his face in his hands. "…Judai. Your world from the sounds of it?"

Judai glanced up from the map he was holding in his hands. "Yeah, Jack?"

To no one's surprise, Jack sighed too, the gesture drawn out and exasperated even through his fingers. "Your world sounds like it freaking _sucks_. Kids as ninja does _not_ sound fun." Under his breath, he added, "No wonder Tomo-chan was so attached to you people. You all _need_ more sunlight, dammit."

Judai, in the same vein as everyone else before him, sighed directly into the map in his hands.

To the side, Kei said just as quietly, "Wouldn't you like to know."

Instead of justifying a response to that, Jack crossed his arms while tipping Mr. Hat. "…How about this? We stage a fake fight to steal a ship?"

"WHAT?" Obito jumped up from his seat on a nearby bench. "We're going to fight? _Here?"_

Judai was now looking at the Marine like his birthday had come early. "I never thought I'd hear you say that. Especially considering your job." A beat passed, and then he cheerily added, "You might get in trouble with your employers for this, Jack!"

Obito was sending Jack a questioning stare as soon as he smiled. "Eh. They're all jerks." He paused, blinking as if realizing something before adding quickly, "Not _all_ of them, anyways. I've survived with some friends. And I know someone who can get a boat and cover for us. Plus Whitebeard's done some things I owe him for."

"…Favors?"

"Family connection, my friend," Jack corrected smoothly with an amused click of his tongue. "Family connection."

Judai lowered the map with an understanding, "Ohhh."

Kei shook her head and walked away from her resting place of leaning against the wall to face the group. "I'm in. Need an explosion?"

"That's a start." Jack's smile could be seen growing by the kilometer.

Obito glanced between everyone before raising his hand with a loud, "Don't blame me for this!"

"No one said anything, Obito."

"Shut it, Bakashi. Just saying it before we go see Tomo-chan."

* * *

"C'mon, Tomo, ya don't have to hide. Dad doesn't bite."

All I could muster was a squeaky and measly, "T-Trying?" I would definitely have to apologize to Izo-san later for getting sweat on his pride that was his crafted clothes. Because they could put Mama on a run for her money, and I was getting _sweat_ on them. Agh.

In front, I could've sworn I heard a quiet and amused, " _Gurararara."_

Ace-nii choked on something that vaguely sounded like a chuckle. "Sorry, Pops, our Princess seems to be a bit shy." A hand landed on top of my head, ruffling my hair softly as I could hear a smaller, "Tomo-chan, it's fine. Pops is great. He took us in. He'll take you in too."

That was nice and all, but Leith-nee's purple waist-cape smelled nicer. The idea of going home with Kei and the others while avoiding this _entire_ situation sounded nicer.

Still, Hisako was the next person in line to poke me. **Dear. I get that you're nervous. But you're here anyways, and you need to talk now, don't you?** She paused before adding, **Well, I didn't want to pull this card, but you don't want to be rude in front of the captain and your siblings, right?**

That did it. Along with Leith-nee's soft, " _Go on, squirt,_ " I already was stumbling out of my adopted older siblings' shadows to stand on my own, gripping my pink skirt's hem like a lifeline. The flower designs were nice, but I needed to make eye contact. I had to raise my head, to look past my bangs, so then why did my neck feel like stone—

 **Breathe, Tomoko-chan.** _ **Breathe**_ **.**

"Please let me take a look at you, little one."

That did it. I inhaled as much air as I could before forcing myself to look upwards.

The first thing I noticed was the number of IV machines and nurses standing around. Sure, I had seen all the shoes in the room, but there was something eerie about there being so much _medical equipment and staff_ when, last I checked, we were on a pirate ship and not in any local hospital. The second thing was how _big_ he was. Tall, lumbering, and _powerful_ from looks alone. Scars added into the whole image too, scattered around what I could see of his exposed chest, past his sweeping jacket hanging from his shoulders. Even with the catheter attached to his nose, the big curved white moustache and glittering _amber_ eyes said everything. Plus the massive abs and arms that looked like he could _easily_ grab all of me in one hand without too much trouble.

 _ **Whoa,**_ Hisako said slowly. **Huge.**

 _Now I know how Edward Elric felt in the face of Colonel Armstrong._

I seriously doubted I even reached his _knee_ with how big he was. The wine barrel nearby was already starting to look like a _cup_ in comparison, not adding in how Ace-nii and Leith-nee barely reached his _waist_ from I was estimating his standing height.

With no other reaction to give, I gulped. _Meep_.

 **Yep. Meep, indeed.**

"Princess," Leith-nee said softly from over my shoulder, hand gently resting on my back, "This is Dad. Our Captain Whitebeard himself." To the Captain, she forged on with a louder and proud, "Dad, this is Princess Hoshino Tomoko!"

 **She's** _ **still**_ **using that nickname.**

"H-Hi, Captain sir," was all I could squeak out. High-pitched too. It took all I had to bow my head respectfully and _not_ stumble. "It's nice to, um, meet you?"

A single second passed before my big brother turned his face away. Glancing in his direction just added to my embarrassment, because Ace-nii was _clearly_ hiding laughter with his shoulders shaking like that. And the hand covering his mouth. " _Goddamn,"_ was all I could make out. "Cute."

And Leith-nee was snickering too. Gosh darn it.

 **Even the nurses are smiling.**

You're _grinning too, aren't you?!_

My Nobody shrugged, turning away from me, but I could see that upturn of her lips from what I could make out of her cheeks. Goddammit.

Captain Whitebeard blinked those same hazel eyes before getting up from his large armchair. His standing up just made the height difference all the more palpable, and I tried not to flinch once he walked over and kneeled down in front of me. _While_ tearing off his catheter to toss to the side. I decided not to focus on the obvious medical liquid left spewing from the device as it flew through the air to land somewhere in the room.

"C-Captain!" The nurses shrieked in horrified protest.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be fine," he bellowed authoritatively, waving them off with one of his large hands. "I'm not _that_ old yet."

"S-Still…" the nurses quieted down to whisper amongst each other. A few footsteps followed as someone clearly went over to pick up the discarded device.

First, why toss a helpful medical device at all, and second, why couldn't I shrink away? I took a breath to steady myself.

"So," was the muse above me, and the jolt was already running up my spine once a large hand landed on top of my head. It was a lot of weight, yet it didn't hurt. It was… _soft_? "You're the tiny Princess my crew's been clamoring on about." A large breath brushed my face, and I opened my eyes just to make eye contact with those same hazel. I was not expecting to see the big toothy grin accompanying the warm stare in my direction. Now I knew where Ace-nii's big tattoo on his back came from. This guy had an iconic _smile_. "Hello, little one. I'm Edward Newgate, also known as Whitebeard, the Captain of these rowdy pirates. Hope my kids haven't been too much on you."

Huh? "N-Not at all! Leith-nee and Ace-nii are really nice, Whitebeard-san!" Ohhhhh no, I was already rambling because goddammit, the heat was back. I was so ridiculous. "Theyhelpedtakecareofmeforawhile, evenwhenIcouldasksomereallyweirdquestions, and, and, theysailedmeheretoseeyou, they'rejustreallygreatandIlovethemalot, and, and, youdidagreatjobofhavingthemandI'mkindahonoredyou'remeetingwithmerightnow!"

A beat of the same silence from before, and then some of the nearby gossiping nurses from earlier started to giggle.

 _Frig._ "I-I mean," my voice cracked as my mind caught up with the previous ramble, amending it with a quiet, "I mean, um. I love Leith-nee and Ace-nii very much, and I'm glad that you took care of them, so thank you?" Another thought hit, and I ended up squeaking out a loud note of, "A-And thank you for having me too!"

"Pfffff," Leith-nee went behind me. "She's _precious,_ ain't she."

"Right?!" A nurse not-so-eloquently whispered.

 **I don't think that's proper hospital protocol…** Hisako was still laughing.

Captain Whitebeard eyed my big sis from over my shoulder before stroking his moustache in thought, the same big grin on his face. "Well now," he mused, "that certainly explains why Leith and Ace were so keen on you. And why my crew has been clamoring over you for the past few days." That same large hand lightly patted my head, and I couldn't get out the feeling that I probably looked like a tiny nervous doll to him. "You don't have to be so stiff, little Princess. As long as you're on my ship, you'll be as safe as my power can allow."

"O-Oh," I said intelligently. Hisako snickered.

Whitebeard paused before glancing past me to loudly add, "You brats _better_ have a child as sweet as this one or you'll be the total _death_ of me! You hear that?!"

Yep. My face was going to become an oven at this point. "E-Eh?!"

Why didn't past me do well with compliments? Oh, that's right, she was too much of a workaholic to have it be drilled into her brain.

Without even thinking it, Hisako was already pushing out the new arrivals of thoughts that came into the library with a face. **Nope, nope, NOPE, no thinking about those people doing that sort of thing.** She paused. **Please don't tell me they've done it already. Eugh.**

Whether it was my being demisexual or my childish instincts, all I could sum those thoughts up with were, _Ew. No, no, please don't imply anything else!_

Ace choked on what sounded like his own spit as Leith-nee piped up with a loud, "We can work on that _after_ the wedding! And you already have a niece in the Princess, Dad!"

" _Gurarararara_ , let this old coot dream, you brat!" That large hand was still on my head as Whitebeard looked past my shoulders to bark at my siblings like _they_ were the kids. "You two troublemakers already share a bed, why not do the wedding now?!"

"Because Lipstick insists on clothes or whatever! And we _had_ to get the bridesmaid in Princess, Dad!"

"DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU TWO ARE _SLOW_. ACE HAS BEEN DOING THIS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, AND YOU JUST DECIDE TO PULL THE PROPOSAL WHEN WE WEREN'T LOOKING!"

My ears were already starting to ring. Um. Ow.

Ace-nii sputtered with an embarrassed whine of, "POPS!"

"THE THING JUST HAPPENED! DON'T BLAME ME WHEN YOU BECOME A GRAMPS SOON, DAD!"

"GURARARA, YOU BRAT!"

The nurses were still giggling. My Fire Fist big bro was still stuttering from whatever embarrassment high he was on.

"Um," I squeaked quietly before any other barbs could be thrown, because sitting in the middle felt uncomfy. "Wh-Whitebeard-san?"

Everyone immediately quieted down once Leith-nee noticed my voice and spoke up with a loud, " _OI_ , enough with the teasing, the Princess has spoken, let's hear her out!" Now… I admit, that wasn't exactly necessary, but it helped. The loud noise was gone, and the captain had turned back to me with the announcement, his amber eyes blinking with the realization of my _still_ being there. It didn't take long for the grin from before to come back.

"What is it, little Princess?" he asked softly. It was hard to ignore the warmth in his eyes and the hand still resting on my head, the same hand that was starting to stroke my hair.

Aaaaah. How did I end up here again? Right, I needed to meet the man who took in my big sis and bro, for the sake of formalities.

Why did the Captain have to say my new nickname like… like my old Dad? Just, _why_. I missed him enough.

Instead of saying all that, I took a shaky breath. "I-Is there anything else I need to do? I-I mean, I will be in your care, a-and I dunno about Leith-nee and Ace-nii, but it sounds like they'll need privacy sooner or later—" Hisako snorted just as I heard Ace-nii positively _gurgle_ from shock, "—so, um, shouldn't I be doing something for you?"

Please don't blame me for defaulting to cafe worker, I'm too used to the environment at this point to break the habit. Plus my working as an informal secretary to Jack-nii for so many months.

…And yes. I missed Kei. I missed everyone else enough already too. Darn homesickness. The work was all I could do to remember _something_ familiar when my friends weren't around to provide the hugs that pushed the loneliness away.

Captain Whitebeard's amber eyes widened a small margin before he threw his head back and laughed a soft, " _Gurararara._ " Huh?

"Whitebeard-san…?"

The confusion was already rolling through me once he swayed forward to make eye contact again, a soft sparkle in the stare now. "Little Princess, you are a guest and a _child_. There's nothing for you to 'do' when you should be who you are. There's no need to push yourself so much." That same hand from before was still stroking my hair. It felt comforting. Almost fatherly-like. "And you _are_ the Princess of this crew. It should fall upon us as the hosts to take care of you." He paused before looking past me and adding a curt, "One of ours did have the nerve to _kidnap_ you from what I've heard."

Leith-nee was already nodding as Ace-nii strangely started to whistle, but the heat flooding my face this time was unmistakable.

 **Yeaaaaaah, that sounds nice, Cap'n, but** _ **no**_ **.** Hisako drawled. **You underestimate the power of a stubborn workaholic girl who's lived with** _ **ninja**_ **for the past decade. Said girl who also was a Biology student in a previous life that still needs to learn how to** _ **sleep**_ **without tossing and turning.**

That self-burn from my other self wasn't exactly _necessary_ , but it brought the point across.

"B-But, but," my voice cracked again, even in the face of that iconic smile turned reassuring. Even in the face of nice hair-pats. "I-I can't just _impose_ on you, Whitebeard-san, I mean, I—" Then the idea hit me. This could work. I could repay all the pirates for taking care of me in the best way I knew how. And it would be the best way to let the ninja know where I was.

I just needed a partner.

 **You know who.**

I did indeed. Unfortunately, my way of asking still needed work. "W-Whitebeard-san, do you have a piano around here instead?!"

One nurse nearly fell over from her standing position at my loud cry, just as Leith-nee barked out a laugh. The surprised look on Whitebeard's face was something I don't think I'd be forgetting anytime soon.

* * *

It did not take long before the entire room kinda relocated. And that I needed to hold back the urge to barf for _real_ this time because motion sickness. The ginger drop in my mouth was a nice relief, though. Just, _why_ did every single person I know have to be _fast_? These were _pirates_ , not ninja, and yet I had to rely on a ginger drop because my stomach couldn't tell the difference. Ugh.

I didn't even have the time to ask why they were running. We just…were.

Ace-nii bounced me softly from the piggyback ride just as Leith-nee kicked open the door and gestured to the inside of the new room dramatically. "Here we are, Princess! The Whitebeard Pirates' music room, all for ya leisure!"

"Mm…"

 **She's chipper.**

 _I-I don't blame her._

Hisako smiled wryly and patted my head. **Don't push yourself.**

 _I know._

No matter what, it always looked like Leith-nee would never lose her energy in being my big sis. Nor did it seem like my siblings and their pirate crew would _stop_ being helicopter guardians anytime soon. The number of nurses and straggler pirates that followed the small huddle we had, consisting originally of my older adopted siblings carrying me along in the ship's many hallways and Captain Whitebeard himself, ended up creating quite the large group. There was a lot of muttering behind us, and I could've sworn I heard more than one attempt at someone asking if I was okay.

"Souchou, if you want, one of us could carry her?"

"Nah, I've got it."

"Ace-souchou, I do have some tea if the Princess needs it!"

"Just let her say something first!"

It took both my motion sickness and my anxiety to make me not look back and hang onto Ace-nii as much as I could.

I mean, was all this attention really warranted? I _was_ a bit motion-sick, but…

"Tomo?"

Oh. Right. Leith-nee needed a reply judging by the questioning look on her face, so I did my best to nod and hold onto what I could, tightening my grip around Ace-nii's neck to make sure I didn't fall down. From behind, I could already hear the many crew members who followed us mumble amongst themselves. A second was all it took for them to quiet down and judging by the loud and heavy footsteps behind my back, I could guess who accomplished that.

"Ace, you can put the little one down at the piano now," Whitebeard rumbled authoritatively. "She seems eager."

The big grand piano was already looming in front of my eyes, and I couldn't help the happy noise leaving my throat once Ace-nii swiveled his neck towards me to give a warm smile. "Want down, Princess?"

The answer was obvious. It was as if the sickness went away, even for a moment, in the face of all the happy juice. That piano looked _gorgeous_ , and I wanted to play on it. "Please!"

He laughed loudly, just in time with Leith-nee's smile before he strided over to the center of the room where the piano was, turning around enough to gently deposit me onto the familiar piano bench. Sure, it wasn't the same bench as the one in Nagareboshi Cafe, but it was still a bench that I was familiar with from all my years of playing. "Here you are, Tomo-chan."

The piano was sparkling with its almost new black sheen, the black and white keys were without a single speck of dust, and from looking inside, the strings were _completely_ new.

 **Whoa.** Hisako whistled. **Think they stole this?**

I had no clue about _that_ , but I still had to do one last thing.

Before Ace-nii could stand up, I reached over with my arms, ignoring the remaining butterflies in my stomach to hug him for a moment. "Thank you, Ace-nii," was the only thing I could say, because really, he was amazing. _My siblings_ were amazing. "Thank you."

"Oh, Princess, you don't have to thank me for anything," Ace-nii was still smiling when I let him go, chuckling before stepping back to wrap an arm around Leith-nee's waist. "You helped me with proposing to Spoons, so this is my returning the favor."

"Behehe. And here I thought you _stumbled_ the entire way, with your _burning_ Dressrossa in your hunt for a ring," Leith-nee interjected with a poke to his abs, grinning widely. "You still have work to do on your technique, hot stuff."

Ace-nii flushed. "HEY!"

It didn't take long for the piano bench to creak near my left side. Turning to that side made me make eye contact with amber eyes, the Captain grinning that same iconic grin. "So," he started cheerily, "will this tired captain be able to hear your famous songs, little Princess?"

My Nobody was already raising her almost signature pink pom-poms in the air with a large grin as her glasses slid down the bridge of her nose. _**Famous.**_ **Tomoko-chan, you're famous!** Hisako cheered loudly. **Woooooo! That's my girl!**

I tried not to blush again, instead smiling back with a nod. "I-If that's okay?" At the questioning stares from everyone else in the entire room, I found myself fumbling with my hands to fight off the eventual heat. "I-I mean, I'm really happy that you let me stay on your ship with your crew, Whitebeard-san! Specially to see Leith-nee and Ace-nii's wedding." He grinned reassuringly, just as my voice started to quiet down from my heart calming at the gesture. "I just don't want to leave you hanging without something to show my gratitude…"

"Awwwww! The littlest sis…!" a nearby crew member cooed softly, just as the captain turned away to snicker into his large hands, something along the lines of the same "Gurararara," from before.

Did I do something? I was just being honest…

 **Just take the attention, Tomoko-chan.** Hisako was still smiling too. **Just take it, and don't question it. Pirates can love too.**

The lightbulb hit like a brick to the face. Here comes the heat, all over again. _I-I know that…_

A large hand reached over and touched the top of my head, snapping me out of the mindscape in time to make eye-contact with the Captain and the rest of the crew who were looming around his sides. They were all grinning. Um. "Of course it's alright, little Princess," Whitebeard spoke for everyone, smiling wide enough to expose bright white teeth. Of course it was his hand that was ruffling my hair now. There was no one else on the entire ship who was so giant-like. "You are more than welcome to do so."

My heart skipped a few beats. "O-Okay. Thank you, Whitebeard-san."

The response I got was a simple and soft, " _Gurarara_." And one last ruffle of my hair.

With a breath, I glanced at Leith-nee who had taken the moment's time to lean against the right side of the piano. All she did was turn to me with an amused smile and a wink.

It was enough.

I turned back to the black and white keys, resting my fingers against them.

 _A song for the Whitebeard Pirates, who flee from the Marines and continue to have adventures…_

Hisako raised a single pointer finger. **No Game No Life?**

The familiar lyrics hit me first.

 _I never wanted to be another gear_

 _In that corrupted world's machine._

 _All my life felt like a dream._

 _I was never who I really wanted me to be._

The memory alone did it. It fit. This could work. The inspiration was flowing through me like a tsunami wave as my eyes closed. My fingers flew across the keys as they always did, bringing about the song that originally called for the triumph of two gamer siblings.

Now? In this case, I was hoping for the triumph and happiness of my two pirate siblings.

The rest of the words were already leaving my lips under my breath as the sound of the piano echoed throughout the music room. The song was still as powerful as it was when Vy first listened to it so many years ago, and behind me, I could vaguely make out gasping noises and what felt like silent awe.

 _But then God shattered_

 _that dream's cage._

 _And rose me up to a new stage._

 _Cut it away like a sharp knife._

 _Then gave me this new life._

 _Now suddenly there's a new twist._

 _A reason to really exist._

 _I wanna breathe in the fame as this_

 _whole new world cheers my name._

 _I'll never leave it to fate._

 _And when I see a chance_

 _I'll pave the way._

 _I'll call checkmate._

 _This is the time to break through._

 _So I'll rewrite the story and I'll_

 _finally change all the rules._

Sure, this new world wasn't ruled by games. Murder and war could still very well happen. The jobs that Jack-nii _didn't_ take me on and the many missions Team Minato did in the face of the Third Shinobi World War were all examples of that. There was so much I missed _because_ I was a naive civilian girl. But these pirates — Leith-nee and Ace-nii — they were making the most of their lives and living as fully as they could be while wandering on the sea. Just like Sora and Shiro in Disboard. They were doing more every day, making a living, making a family, and coming together to bring the New World things it probably wouldn't see otherwise if it was only the Marines behind everything.

Jack-nii gave me a home with Wendy-nee and everyone else back at the Marine base, but it was Leith-nee and Ace-nii that gave me that first sense of _adventure_.

 _We are Maverick._

 _We won't give in until we win this game._

 _Though I don't know what tomorrow holds,_

 _I'll make a bet and play_

 _my cards to win this game._

 _Unlike the rest, I'll do my best._

 _And I won't ever lose._

 _To give up this chance_

 _would be a deadly sin,_

 _So let's bet it all._

 _I'll put all my faith in us so let the games begin._

If I could, I would have played this song forever. There was something nostalgic about playing this song, the very song that kept Vy going to the near end. It was yet another reminder of the old world and the life I lost. Sure, I had Kei to share those memories with, but I never got to meet Kei _before_ she became Kei. And Kei never got into _No Game No Life_ like how Leo, Josh, and Vy did _._

This song, even when it was part of the memory of a pianist who was far greater than I could ever be, was still one I could at least think was one of my _own_. I could honor that pianist who played for thousands while still keeping that old world alive.

Through this, I could at least show gratitude to my pirate caretakers and prove that _Leo and Josh_ weren't just figments of a past life left to rot.

But nothing lasted forever, and by the time the nostalgia faded away, it registered to me that my hands weren't moving, and the room was silent. I slowly opened my eyes, trying not to wince at the light flooding my vision before looking around.

"Ohmigod…"

"That was…"

Hisako dropped the obvious question first with a face. **What happened and who turned on the waterworks?**

"U-Um, everyone?"

A woman nearby started to sob loudly.

Yep. The combined crocodile tears from the straggler crew members and nurses was _not_ expected. Everyone was smiling, including Leith-nee, Ace-nii, and the Captain himself, but _tears_? What?

My incoming panic was thankfully mitigated at the sight of Leith-nee and Ace-nii being some of the few who _weren't_ crying waterfalls, but the simple fact that my music brought _tears_ in the first place was something else. Worrying, actually.

 **What brought** _ **this**_ **on?** Hisako said incredulously, her glasses slipping lopsidedly on the bridge of her nose from the gravity of her fish face. **I know you bring good music, dear, but I don't think it should be enough to warrant** _ **tears**_ **…**

 _Unless…_ I glanced at my hands and took a breath, focusing on my chakra coils. It didn't take long for there to be a sudden surge of warmth in both of my hands. I held back a wince. _Darn it. Chakra again._

 **Ahhhhh. That explains things.** Hisako put on an unsure smile. **At least you made the pirates happy! Shouldn't that be good?**

 _I-I didn't mean to make them_ cry _, Hisako!_

My Nobody, left without a proper answer, simply shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

Whitebeard-san was the first one to regain any sense of composure, nodding softly to himself before reaching over with the same hand from before to pat my head. "Little Princess," he breathed, and the audible _shake_ of his voice was hard to miss, "That was simply _breathtaking_. Possibly one of the best songs this man has heard while out on this blue sea." His amber eyes were shining too. Oh no.

I couldn't help but smile back, even in the face of anxious thoughts. "Th-Thank you, Whitebeard-san, but I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!"

" _Gurararara_ ," he guffawed in that same soft and shaky tone, shaking his head. "Don't apologize, little Princess. There is nothing shameful about being overcome with emotion."

"C-Captain, we are not worthy of you!" the still crying crew screamed. I could've sworn I saw a rainbow behind their heads. The nurses nearby were still sniffling but were nodding in my direction as a form of acknowledgement.

Um.

"D-Definitely explains why Spoons cried the first time they met," Ace-nii added, much to Leith-nee's loud protest of, "HEY!" and then there was a small snort. The peanut gallery behind him were starting to pass tissues amongst each other, thanks to that first sobbing nurse finding a giant tissue box. "That was something, huh, Pops?"

"Yes," Whitebeard reached over to grab the nearest sleeve on his jacket-cape, bringing it over to use as a makeshift handkerchief in wiping his eyes. "Leith."

My big sis stood to attention with uncrossed arms and tense shoulders, glancing over to the Captain with wide hazel eyes. "Yeah, Dad?"

Whitebeard smiled. "You did well in finding this girl. She's done a lot for you, hasn't she?"

I looked up at her as soon as her gaze landed on me. Those hazel eyes softened as her body visibly relaxed. "She has, Dad. She has."

 **Oh my goodness.**

 _Aaaaaaaah_ , I was going to become an oven at this rate. This attention was too much. All that could leave my lips were sputters and incoherent squeaks, and without even needing a mirror, I knew my face was a full blown red. So, I resorted to covering my face with my hands and rocking back and forth on the piano bench in the hopes of possibly melting into a puddle to sneak away.

"Awwww, Princess, it's the truth! Just take it!"

" _Gurararara_ , adorable!"

"Noooooooooo, I can't just take that! Just, just, how could—" my voice cracked in time with the sobbing nearby slowly changing to loud laughter. "Leith-nee, you're a _dork!_ "

My heart was going to give out at one point with the amount of people flocking towards me.

"And I'm _proud_ of it, Chickadee!" And _whoa_ , I wasn't sitting down anymore, and my feet were _flying_. When did that happen? I didn't even get time to think before my hands were being pushed away to make me open my eyes, and hazel eyes were staring at me with that same _warmth._ Aaaaaaaah. That explained it. I was caught in a Carry Hug _again_. And where were my sandals? "I'm proud of it, being a dork." Leith-nee grinned widely, showing off teeth just like her silly captain. "And I love you~!"

Ace-nii smiled over Leith-nee's shoulder as soon as the words registered in my head.

"L-Leith-neeeeeee!"

Over her shoulder, she said, "Behehehehe, she's red as a tomato, Ace. I think I still got it."

"Naaaah," Ace-nii waved her off with a teasing smirk. "I think you're just pushing it, Spoons."

It would've lasted for the entire night.

Then a nearby crew lookout, probably around Izo-san's age based on appearance, kicked the nearby door open.

"CAPTAIN! THERE'S A BOAT DOCKING NEAR US! AND IT'S FULL OF NINJA!"

My heart could've stopped.

* * *

It didn't take long for my perch to change from my big sis to my Fire Fist big bro as everyone in the music room filed out under Captain Whitebeard's command. Any happiness from before had been sapped from the group in exchange for grim seriousness. "So," Leith-nee went dryly to the interrupting lookout, "Any clue on who's the mystery ninja?"

"N-Not sure, Leith," the crew member croaked, but his eyebrows furrowed on his forehead from clear conflict. "But they insisted on coming up to meet you and Ace-souchou! Something about, uh," he paused before waving an arm in the air from panic, " _Kidnapping_ hime?"

"And, and!" Another man added with a shaky smile, "They were led by a _Marine_ saying that they knew you, Captain!"

The entire time the crew was walking through the hallways leading up to the deck of the ship, Captain Whitebeard was silent. But that comment alone made him stop, just for almost everyone lurking behind him to bump into his bulky back. "Ah," he said, before turning around to meet Leith-nee's eyes. It was hard to miss Ace-nii's smirk nearby too, since I was left _sitting_ in his arms. "Leith, you _brat_ , are the visitors who I think they are?"

My big sis whistled while sauntering up to the front of the group. "I _did_ mention before that Tomo was being taken care of by one _unlucky_ Marine, Dad. And that her family would be coming around sooner or later…"

 **No.** _ **No.**_ Hisako said in disbelief. I didn't know whether to be affronted or grateful that she was expressing it for me. **It's only been a few days, don't tell me—**

I opened my mouth to find nothing come out, and Ace-nii bounced me softly. "Spoons _did_ say she invited your folks, Princess!"

It took just _one_ kick from Leith-nee's boot for the nearest door to the deck to swing open, and I tried not to shiver from the sudden _cold_. Everyone slowly filed out onto the deck to join the other crewmates already out there, and it was hard to miss how the crew left Ace-nii and I to be the last to walk out, and once we did, my heart leapt up in my chest.

"Judai, calm down, we're _on_ what could be an enemy ship!"

"Don't care, Minato!" To everyone else, I could make out a loud and angry, " _Hey_ , we got invited by Leith, so answer my question! Where's—"

I sucked in a breath at the two-toned brown hair and bright brown eyes. Even with the crowd of pirates blocking what I could see past the neck downwards, the _Konoha_ headband hidden by said brown hair was scratched up, but unmistakable.

"PAPA!" I squealed.

He immediately swiveled his head to make eye contact with me, and even over the many pirate heads, the _recognition_ was already easy to see in his eyes. "HIME!" he screamed back, and I wiggled around as soon as he made his way through the bewildered crowd with subsequent mutters of, "Can I get through?" and "'Scuse me, I have a daughter to hug."

With one last wiggle, Ace-nii laughed and tipped his hat in my direction. "Alright, alright, give me a sec, Princess," was the musing, and it didn't take long for him let me down onto the ship deck.

Gratitude was totally left in the back of my mind because I was already running past the pirates and onto the makeshift path the crowd made for me, arms outstretched. "PAPA!"

 **We found you!** Hisako added proudly.

It did not take long for me to finally reach him and wrap my arms around his neck in a warm hug. Papa laughed, not even fazed by my _crashing_ into him, reaching over to squeeze me just as tight. "Hime. Hime, Hime, Hime." A hand went up to the back of my head, bringing me closer into the hug. "This is where you've been, you silly daughter of mine."

"I missed you, Papa, I missed you too." I held back the urge to sniffle, because _god_ I missed him, only letting go as soon as he let me. It took a lot to not blush once he planted a kiss on my forehead. "But, but Papa, how did you _get_ here?"

"Why, hime, Papa has his ways," he waggled a teasing finger at me. "Former ninja, remember?"

"Judai-jichan…" A sigh sounded over his shoulder and the same voice proceeded to interrupt with an exasperated, "We staged a fake fight for Jack-san to get Wendy-san to steal a ship." Of course. Gosh, there was _my housemate_ right behind Papa, and I couldn't stop myself from jumping over and hugging him too. It was really _Kakashi_. "Hey. Tomoko." His voice came out strained as soon as my arms wound around his shoulders.

"Kashi!" Laughter was already leaving my lips, because my previous anxiety was already going away in the _face_ of seeing friends and family. It had only been about a week, but I still missed them. "You're here!"

"Yes, I'm here," he sighed tiredly, but the hand loosely patting my back was a good enough response. "Now, can you let go?"

I did that just to grin at him sheepishly. "Sorry. So, so then, everyone's here?" My heart was beating hard in my chest from excitement and happy juice, because when was the last time _that_ happened without the war butting in like an angry plot device? "Team Minato's all here?"

Kakashi gave me a raised eyebrow before putting a hand on my shoulder. "What do you think?" was his dry answer. A single push was all it took, and then I was making eye contact with teary black eyes hidden by orange goggles.

"OBI!" was the next thing that left my lips, and a few seconds was just enough time for Obito to jump on _me_ in a hug this time, lifting me up all over again like the first time he saw me in this world. "H-Hey, Obi!" It was hard to stop laughing now, what with him _spinning_ me again. Woooo, stars!

"Tomo-chan, you're so _troublesome!_ " But Obito was laughing too, putting me down just as fast as he picked me up, plopping his head down on my shoulder with a heavy THUNK. Whoa, that changed quickly. "You need to stop getting kidnapped!"

 **She can't help that,** Hisako deadpanned. **Pirates are pirates. And black holes are black holes.**

Outwardly, I tried to not feel guilty and patted his hair, doing my best to hold down any motion sickness. "H-Hehehe, sorry~…!"

"Dork," Obito muttered, and he pulled away just to reveal one certain swordsman standing near a Yellow Flash and my two Marine caretakers. Minato-san. Jack — no, _Jackie-nee_ , and Wendy-nee. They were all there near the railing of the ship, standing together and discussing something with the Captain while said swordsman with messy black hair sat on the sidelines.

My best friend in the entire world was right there, just a meter away.

Hisako pushed first. **Go, Tomoko-chan.**

Minato-san nudged her with an elbow as soon as the happy juice overflowed in my chest cavity.

"KEI!"

"Tomo—!" My reincarnation buddy was already turning her head to blink in realization just as I broke out into a sprint, and before I knew it, I was tackling her in the biggest hug I could ever muster. It felt like we were back in the cafe again with Kei catching me without any effort. "H-Hey, _Tomo_! Ribs!" Yet she was laughing too, and I did my best to avoid accidentally knocking her kodachi off her shoulders in exchange for wrapping my arms around her neck, squeezing _just because_ I missed her so much. She was swinging me around like Obito did before her, but there was just something sweet about _her_ being the one doing the swinging because I missed her. Because we were reincarnation buddies.

"Oh, Kei, you're here! You're really here!" was the breathless reply that left my lips mid-hug, and I didn't even find it in myself to care that my stomach was swinging because it was _Kei_ and she was _here_. I could actually hug her this time. "You found me!"

"We found _you_ , Tomo," was the dry deadpan above my head, but once the momentum came to a stop, an exasperated huff brushed the top of my hair. It only vaguely registered in my mind that I was standing on my tiptoes to even keep the hug up. The hug tightened as a hand patted my shoulders softly. "We found you."

"You did, Kei." I inhaled slowly. "You all did."

One more squeeze, and then I could pull away, just to take in the visage of my reincarnation buddy again. Same eyebags, same black hair, same blue hitai-ite bandana. Kei grinned wryly while adjusting her kodachi. "So, what is it with you and being _kidnapped_ , Tomo? Are you trying to be Princess Peach?"

From embarrassment or what have you, I found myself taking a step back, trying not to fumble. Goddammit, the heat was back, and with a vengeance. And what was with the _Mario_ reference? "I-I can't help it! The portal was one thing," Minato-san and Jackie-nee shared a chuckle at that, "but I just can't go against Leith-nee! She has a wedding!"

Nearby, I could hear a loud, "DAMN STRAIGHT, SQUIRT!"

Jackie-nee followed it up with a loud, "LANGUAGE!"

Minato-san laughed it off with a small wave of his hand.

"And next thing you know, I'm Bowser." Kei meanwhile closed her eyes and sighed, crossing her arms against her chest. "You and getting _adopted_ , Tomo. You're attracting everyone at this rate."

 **Bulls-eye. She's famous, after all!**

A nervous laugh left my lips. "Ehehehehe…sorry." Then the idea hit me. "So, wait, did you find me because—"

Kei opened one eye to raise a pointer finger at my heart. "Your chakra's hard to miss, Tomo. You project way too much, music or not." Even with what sounded like a lecture, she was smiling. A crooked smile, but a smile. "Jack-san got the ship from Wendy-san and they navigated us."

"Oh…"

Out of a random thought, I glanced up in the direction of my first Marine caretaker in time to see her turn her head and smile brightly at me. "Have to be around to take pictures _somehow_ , Tomo-chan," she mused happily, tipping Mr. Hat at me. The blue _heart_ on Mr. Hat's front was big and obvious. "Hope you weren't waiting too long."

"I'm fine!" _I mean, as fine as pirates can be._ "It's good to see you too, Nee, Mr. Hat!"

The blue heart transformed to become a large, "GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO," in time with Jackie-nee's laughter. She kneeled down as soon as I ran over with my arms outstretched, and whoop-de-doo. Another hug was achieved, and even with my legs feeling some of the day with all the running and walking, hugs were _amazing_. And don't you dare fight me on that.

Wendy-nee was smiling too, nodding over Jackie-nee's shoulder while somewhat nervous. "I'm glad you're okay, Tomo-chan," she mused while playing with her blonde ponytail, "but is it really okay? We're on _pirate territory_ , and Jack and I are Marines…"

Minato-san, even with his cheery smile, had a hand behind his back. He was on guard too.

"Wendy, don't worry." I tried not to squawk once my feet left the floor _again_ as it became obvious Jackie-nee was the culprit in carrying me. What was it with adults and _carrying_ me? I glanced over to see my caretaker take on a confident smirk. "Whitebeard's a good family friend of mine."

" _Gurararara_ , very true, Jack!" came the loud bellow, and I could easily make out Obito's shocked shriek as soon as Captain Whitebeard himself came lumbering over, Ace-nii, Leith-nee, and Papa in tow. The big toothy grin was eye-catching enough. "It's good to see you again." Whitebeard offered a large hand to my caretaker, and Jackie-nee shook it, apparently not minding Wendy-nee's shocked silence. Glancing over in her direction granted me the sight of her emulating a fish.

"It's good to see you too, Captain," Jackie-nee said smoothly, tipping Mr. Hat towards him. "It's been a while."

" _Gurara_ , it has!"

"Whaaaaa?" Wendy-nee said intelligently.

 **Welp. One person's down for the count. Kakashi's probably being a stoic cucumber, we already heard Obito, so…** Hisako paused before finishing with a suggestion of, **Kei?**

I glanced down at my reincarnation buddy. All I could pick up was barely hidden surprise and puzzlement on her face, what with the wide eyes and swiveling of her head to glance between the Captain and me. " _Tomo, you've been with this guy?"_ she mouthed. " _This big guy?"_

I nodded. She gave me a raised eyebrow, eyes more than delivering her disbelief for her.

Jackie-nee laughed warmly, mentioning something I couldn't hear to the Captain while nearby, I could hear Wendy-nee start to sputter. Maybe it was being with the Whitebeard Pirates that had her on edge, especially considering she was huge on her Marine job.

Hopefully, nothing would go wrong. Hopefully. Wendy and Jackie were both good Marines compared to some of the other people that could come out of that working force.

" _Behehe_ , I guess we have all the wedding guests now!" Leith-nee loudly interrupted, and every single person on deck turned to her as soon as the Captain guffawed again. "Any announcements then, Dad?"

"Of course! That means one thing then, brat!"

"What's that, Pops?" Ace-nii asked for us.

"IT'S TIME TO PARTY! BRING OUT THE FOOD, THATCH!"

"AYE AYE, CAP'N!"

All the pirates started to _cheer_ as soon as my ears started to ring. I did not miss how Captain Whitebeard proceeded to grab Minato-san and Papa in a light headlock with his large arms to pull them into a crowd. Yep. That was a lot of voices.

I glanced down towards the deck again, coincidentally meeting Kei's eyes as Obito and Kakashi ran over to join our group. Kakashi was grimacing as Obito looked like he was caught between a corner and a food table.

"We're stuck here till the wedding's over with, huh?" Kei said softly, somehow loud enough for me to hear over the cheering. "This'll be one huge mission report."

The lightbulb went off in my head at about the same time. "…Oh," I said slowly. Here came the anxious guilt.

 **Whoops.**

Um. Yeah. I wiggled around enough for Jackie-nee to notice and put me down onto the deck. Her warm smile of approval was good enough for me. Having that much space and the pirates and adults doing their own thing meant I could run over and give Team Minato a shared hug. It was a bit of a messy Group Hug, but it was still a Hug.

It was loud and rather chaotic on this ship, but it was still a place where people could enjoy themselves.

"T-Tomo-chan?" Obi squawked first, just in time with Kakashi's confused grunt. I squeezed them all a little tighter.

A hand landed on top of my head. "Tomo?" Kei said softly.

"Just, just let me do this, for a bit, please." I tightened the hug as much as I could while trying to avoid pointy elbows and making the whole gesture uncomfortable. "I missed you three. So much. And thanks. For finding me. Again, I mean."

A single beat before arms wound around and the Hug was finally being returned. A huff followed, and I knew it was my housemate. "It was a mission," Kakashi said dryly, "but we would have done it even if it wasn't."

"We missed you too, Tomo-chan," Obito added, a small crack in his voice before one of his hands patted my hair. "We missed you a _whole_ bunch."

Kei's reply was quiet, but I heard it too. "Second that, times the past seven months."

Instead of words, what left my mouth instead was a noise caught between a giggle and a sob. "You dorks. You absolute _dorks_. Thank you. Thank you. Let's enjoy the party for now, at least?"

It was an idea. Another day out on the sea, but this time my friends and family were here to enjoy it with me. It was something.


	19. Chapter 19: Sharing Thoughts

_Summary_ : Before the wedding preparations and the arrival of the ninja, a caretaker asks a key question that makes the little girl vocally revert back to the unsure college student she once was. Temporarily.

* * *

Wrote originally to get some ideas off my chest, and now posting for the sake of sharing. Kind of an intermission to help prep for the next chapter. Also written because Davy's female side needed to shine more in my opinion, and Eli was all for it. So, here we are.

Theme is really more of an introspective one, since I've been in a stoic mood from so much studying. Kyle Landry's slow cover of _Asian Dream_ from Joe Hisashi should suffice.

* * *

"Tomo-chan?"

Jackie-nee's voice. Even with my eyes glancing over the various red marks on the newest paper on my pile of paperwork to look over, the dutiful response was already leaving my lips. "What is it, Nee?"

A pause, and then a soft _scritch_ _scratch_ followed, as if she was scratching her cheek. Then again, aside from the two of us in this office, there was no other sound than the folds of paper because paperwork. "Hm, just thinking. You said you knew ninja back at your home, right, sweetie?"

Jackie-nee was still speaking respectfully, but there was something about that last statement that had me raising my head and blinking. This was the first time she ever asked about _home_ in such a direct manner. Most of the time, she never really questioned it, taking me in even as a little sister in this large Marine base.

 **Something's up,** Hisako said first.

I put my doubts away with all the other paperwork, made eye contact with my caretaker and said, "Um, yeah? Why, Nee?"

Instead of an immediate reply, Jackie-nee swiveled her head away to rub the back of her neck, the part that wasn't covered by her blue bandana. "Curious," she said finally, turning back to me with a wry smile. "From the sounds of it, your home seems to be divided into ninja and people like you, Tomo-chan." Her smile turned more genuine. "Civilians, just like here in the New World."

"Yeah…?"

Hisako frowned. **What's she getting at?**

Jackie-nee's stare turned into one of quiet questioning. "So, why didn't you become a ninja then, Tomo-chan?" Mr. Hat atop her head accentuated a soft "WHY", almost for extra emphasis.

 **Oh. To ask how you got here, and why you're the way you are?**

I didn't even know if I had an answer to my Nobody's question. But my caretaker? Who saw me cry? That was a different story.

" _Why, Tomoko?"_

Kei's voice echoed in my head. My heart clenched. No wonder I felt on edge. This was reminding me of that first serious talk Kei and I ever had, and the reasons that separated us in lifestyles.

" _Music isn't going to solve every problem in the world, y'know."_

Hisako hugged me first. Even if it had been a few months, it was still _months_ away from home. Away from the Cafe. Away from Mama, Papa, and Kei.

I missed them. So much. What were they doing now, without me? Did they even declare me dead because of the long absence?

My stomach churned. Outwardly, I took a breath and tried to put on a smile. My caretaker needed an answer. "Because ninja kill and see a lot of violence, Nee, and I didn't want to be a part of that."

Her brown eyes widened in my direction. The shock was palpable even from a meter away. "Sweetie?"

"I mean," now the modesty was coming back, and my face was growing hot from shame, but I went on anyways. "I get that ninja can do a lot of things. Fight, defend themselves, maybe even save people." Like how Canon Naruto did with the Land of Waves, with Zabuza and Haku. He changed everything. Kei? Kei was _already_ changing things, just by being a part of Team Minato in Rin's place.

That didn't change the fact that I couldn't stop feeling like Kei was hiding some things from me. It didn't change the fact that I couldn't hear about mission briefings because of my lifestyle, and how my help was only limited to so much.

"But, ninja back at home aren't always _seen_ as people, Jackie-nee. They get hurt, they go on mission after mission, they risk their lives and they can _die_ really badly from all the risks, and, and Papa was a former ninja too. He sometimes has a dark face when I'm not looking." It was easy to parse out sometimes. Even if I was a child physically, I wasn't a child _mentally_. And Papa was like my old Dad in how he talked about things with Mama late at night.

Kei wasn't the only one who got nightmares and couldn't fall asleep sometimes. Even if it meant I heard some things I probably shouldn't have.

"I guess…" my voice cracked a little. "I didn't want to be a ninja because I wanted to help out without killing? And, and…" I ducked my head once the staring was starting to burn holes into my soul. "I wanted to help make a place for the ninja to feel okay. Because I like helping people, like—" _Like Kei, Hayate, Papa, Obito, Kakashi, Rin, all at home_. "Like my family. And I can work around papers and play piano, so…" An unsure smile came up on my face as the paperwork piles nearby looked far more interesting than the cheese I was spouting right now. But I made this bed, so I had to lie in it. "I guess, I just wanted to be me first? Without losing myself in violence, and helping people my way."

I was not expecting to hear the loud clatter of a chair being pushed back and footsteps. A yelp was already leaving my lips once arms were reaching under mine to pick me up from my seat at my "secretary desk", and Jackie-nee was looking at me with… _tears_? What? "Oh, Tomo-chan, you _sweetie…_ " A single second passed before she adjusted her hold, carry-hugging me while walking back to her desk. "You are so _precious_."

It was hard to really respond or refute her in any way once she sat back down to pull up another paper, still hugging me all the while. And yes. In a way, I was essentially left with nothing to do but to point out spelling errors in the papers in front of both of us while sitting in my caretaker's lap.

I never did get around to asking her why she was curious. And why she didn't let go of me for the next hour or two. It was hard to ask when she was holding me that tightly.


	20. Chapter 20: Light to You

_Summary:_ Yet another look at things before the happy wedding fiasco, this time where the Marine Lieutenant gets to spend time with the pianist girl. No one was expecting her to get a surprise all for herself. Or maybe not. The other Marine caretaker couldn't help but lurk nearby, smiling and taking pictures all the while.

* * *

I was actually in the middle of writing another chapter of _Seaside Sibling Train_ , specifically to continue where Chapter 18 left off, but after Hayner, the creator behind Lieutenant Wendy, signal boosted the story with a reblog on their ask blog, as well as finding one specific drawn post, well, I felt inspired to write something for Wendy again. She deserves more love, and with Hayner working on their podcast, I wanted to write this as a way of relaxing (since I'm stuck in midterm studying) and to show my own appreciation of them all the while.

Eli, I know you're reading this, I love you too, just let me appreciate Hayner and Wendy too!

Themes this time are (1) the English collaboration cover of _Hikaru Nara_ , the first opening from Your Lie in April, by YouTubers S.B.R.M.P.N.Y [lyrics of said cover that are used _in-story_ proper], and (2) the _beautifully_ done piano cover done by Animenz Piano Sheets. Because when I listen to these songs now, I think of Wendy. :)

Hayner, I hope you enjoy this. Consider this a thanks for keeping up the Wendy-ask blog, and for making art. And everyone else who's reading this, I hope you can enjoy this little story too.

* * *

"…"

 _Hop, hop._

"…"

 _Hop, hop, hop._

"…Muuuuuuuuu!"

 _Hop, hop, hop, hop, hop._

 **Dear? Maybe try asking someone for help?**

 _No. I wanna keep trying!_

 **Okaaaaay then.** Hisako rolled her eyes. **How about you stop hopping on** _ **sandals**_ **and go get a chair?** She paused, adjusting her glasses before adding a dry, **And** _ **then**_ **you don't have to worry about Edward Elric comparisons from Kei and me all the time.**

 _Goddammit, Hisako._ Outwardly, I tried not to sigh, feeling my cheeks puff from the frustration. "Why am I so _short_?!"

It was supposed to be a simple task. Get a binder in the library nearby from the Marine library, because Wendy-nee needed some documents that could only be found here. And with Jackie-nee out on another photo-op-mission of some kind, Wendy-nee was stuck with the paperwork for once. Naturally, that meant I would temporarily migrate to her office for the secretary work, because there was _no_ way I would be leaving one of my guardians to handle that mess alone. Shortness and child-body factored in. Even if Jackie-nee had me under her name as caretaker, Wendy-nee took it upon herself almost immediately on the first day to be around for me too, so I had to do something back.

Just one problem.

The binder she was looking for was on the biggest and _tallest_ shelf of the entire library. Thankfully, not on the _very top_ , but it was near the middle that my arms could _barely even reach_.

It was frustrating.

 _Hop, hop, hop._

My feet were already starting to ache once the thought occurred to me. _Maaaaaaaybe I should've asked for a ladder._

 **Pff. At least you're not trying** **to** _ **climb**_ **the shelves, honey.**

 _Now that's just asking for trouble_. I tried not to shiver at the memory of the _last_ time I tried to be reckless like that. Jackie-nee back then didn't let me out of the bubble-wrap for about 30 minutes.

Before you say anything, yes. She wrapped me in bubble wrap. From feet to shoulders. Because it made up for an okay human tortilla and provided apparently adequate protection against any fights. " _Don't try to get into fights you can't win, Tomo!"_ she told me angrily back then. Afterwards, I was essentially trapped in a bear hug from behind, bubble wrap and all, as my secretary duties were relegated to a time-out watching her do paperwork over my head from my sitting in her lap.

…And nope. Don't ask about the fight thing. Just don't. I'm already embarrassed enough.

 **Step-ladder over at your right?**

I glanced over in that direction and felt my shoulders sag from relief. "That should be tall enough…" It didn't take much to pull it over, since thankfully the thing was on wheels and the library had tile floors.

Buuuuuuut, as always, there was a catch.

"Still…can't… _reach!"_

I was very tempted to jump up and try hopping all over again, because even when standing on the _very top step_ of the step ladder, that darned binder was too far away! Why couldn't chakra—

 **Do you** _ **want**_ **to replicate soaring in the air like a bird without wings, dear?**

…Okay, scratch that.

 _Hop, hop._

"…"

 _Hop, hop, hop._

 **…Honey.**

"A-Ah, balance is hard here."

 _ **TOMOKO-CHAN!**_ Hisako screeched. **This isn't a good idea! For the sake of my heart — wait, I don't have any — STILL, STOP THAT!**

One last _hop_ , and then my feet weren't on the ladder.

 **GODDAMMIT, DEAR, WHAT DID I JUST SAY — huh?**

I blinked. My sandals weren't even flailing in the air like they were supposed to do in freefall. What—

The hands on my waist were the first thing to register in my head. Then the voice. "Tomo-chan, if you needed help, you could've come back and asked." A soft, " _Jeehehehehe,"_ followed the comment, and the heat was already flooding my face from embarrassed shame.

I turned my head to meet warm purple eyes. Yep. My caretaker. Blonde ponytail and reverse Marine hat and all. "W-Wendy-nee, where did you come from?! I thought you had paperwork!" And yes, my voice cracked. _Sue me_ for having a high-pitched voice.

"You were taking a while to get the files, sweetie, so I came around to see what was going on, and here you were, hopping like a bunny!" She laughed another " _Jeehehehehe"_ while still keeping her grip on me. "Just ask for help, Tomoko-chan, there's nothing wrong with that. My height is good enough for _this_." It did not take long for her to _lift upwards_ , and I held back a squeak once my feet finally noticed the lack of _solid ground_. Aaaaaaaah. "Here you go, Tomo-chan! You can pick up the file now!"

I took a breath, turned back to the troublesome shelf in question, and blinked. There it was. That darned blue binder, labeled, "Incident Files 2019." Reaching over this time lacked the ache of my muscles from earlier, because my fingers could actually _grasp_ the spine of the binder and pull at it. Taking it off the shelf was easy, and once it was in my hands, my feet were already finding refuge back down on the library tile floor as the hands under my arms lowered me. "There you go, sweetie," was the soft coo, and I looked up into those same purple eyes as Wendy-nee got down to her knees to smile. "Back safe and sound. Now," she offered me her hand. Big and reassuring. "Let's go back to my office. And no more hopping."

Despite the heat still flooding my cheeks, I still found myself putting my smaller hand into hers. "O-Okay, Wendy-nee."

The proud grin on her face could be seen for miles.

* * *

It was when we were both seated back at our respective desks that the question hit me.

"Neh, Wendy-nee?"

Without skipping a beat, the tired expression on her face morphed to one of kind interest as she looked up from around the massive piles of paperwork. "What is it, Tomo-chan?"

I pushed my chair back to get to my feet, running over to get to her side. I don't even know why, but I found myself reaching over to touch her hand. "Are you happy right now, Wendy-nee?"

She jolted, purple eyes wide as her signature curled blonde hair strand past her hat stood on end with the gesture. Her jaw tensed before she opened her mouth. The reply was just as soft as the first statement that started everything. "What do you mean by that, sweetie?"

"Well, um," I took a step back, removing my hand. It felt a bit intrusive to keep doing that, and to be honest, the heat on my face was coming back and it was taking all I had to not run and hide in Jackie-nee's office. "I know we were able to get the binder you wanted earlier, but I mean, I don't know if I'm doing enough _for you_ , Wendy-nee. You do a lot for me and Jackie-nee by being big, pretty, and _strong,_ and uh," oh no, she was turning red too, _why_. I still needed to finish! Hence the last question coming out in a nervous squeal. "I-I was just wondering if I could do anything else?"

Wendy-nee blinked again. Then her jaw dropped. Some kind of spark was in her purple eyes now. "Sweetie…!" She brought her hands up to cover her mouth. "Oh, you are so—"

A flash of blonde hair, and then the air was _literally_ knocked out of my lungs as one of my sandals fell off. A squeak left me first, before I regained a sense of social cues and reached over to return the sudden hug with a small pat to her back. "W-Wendy-nee?"

"Tomo-chan, you don't have to _do anything_." A hand was pressing itself into my hair, a cheek rubbing the top of my head all the while. "You being the way you are is good enough. Wendy-nee's happy with you being here, helping her out. It's enough." She pulled away, and I tried not to feel panicked at the sight of _tears_ in her eyes. A second was all I got of the sight before she reached up to wipe at them, smiling all the while. "You have such a good _heart_ , sweetie." A hand landed on my head this time, and I tried not to jolt while adjusting myself to sit in her lap. "Stay the way you are."

 **Heh. That's the verdict, dear.**

I still couldn't brush off the feeling that those words weren't just out of care. It sounded — _felt_ like it was something out of _experience_. Like Wendy-nee saw things that she shouldn't have, and hoping I wouldn't fall like someone else.

The thought alone made the urge to cry _heavy_ on my part, but I took a deep breath, ducked my head, and decided. "O-Okay. But, um, Wendy-nee?" I made sure to look up at her, even with the heavy blush on my face, because this was probably one of the most abrupt decisions I would be making in my life here. Wendy-nee deserved _something_ , at least. "C-Could I do something else for you, then?"

She inclined her head, blonde strand flopping over to rest on her cheek too. "What's that, Tomo-chan?"

I leaned into her chest, snuggling up to her. Then, I closed my eyes, opened my mouth, and started singing.

" _Just like a rainbow bright and warm after a hazy summer storm,_

 _Flowers blooming fresh with drops of dew._

 _Watching you stare into the sky in the crimson sunlight_

 _That's when I fell in love with you._

 _Each moment in a picture frame,_

 _I'm holding on; no single shot will ever fade._

 _The movie of this love every part deep within my heart."_

Jackie-nee got my piano. Wendy-nee could get my singing. It felt like enough, and _Hikaru Nara_ was always a great song.

Hisako was humming along with me as I continued singing to the memories of those old days. Vy may be dead, but her memories were still very much alive. I could use those memories to make this life memorable, and others' lives happy.

I could do that for Wendy-nee too.

" _You are the spark, my light in the dark,_

 _Brilliant and bold through the night._

 _Bright as the sun, no matter what comes,_

 _We can be stars if we shine._

 _Don't ever hide those feelings inside_

 _Whenever you're sad or you're blue._

 _When you can't cope, don't ever lose hope,_

 _The stars shine their light over you._

 _Every wish we've made has brought us here together_

 _'Til forever._

 _Underneath the stars and moon and sun we look to the future as one."_

Once the last words left my lips, I opened my eyes to take a breath. Then it was making eye contact with those same purple eyes, and smiling. "W-Was that okay, Wendy-nee?" Again, my voice cracked.

Hisako was patting my head. **Dear, you did good. You didn't fumble when singing. That's an improvement.**

 _Sure, but…_ I knew I couldn't voice the question in my head aloud.

 _Did you like it?_

The question simply echoed in the air instead, unsaid.

My caretaker's grip around my shoulders tightened, just as a big, wide, and shaky grin covered her face. "Oh, _Tomoko-chan…"_ Wendy-nee pulled me close, and any urge to speak left me once a few wet droplets landed on top of my hair. "That was so _precious_. Th-That song, just for me?"

"Mm," was the little murmur of agreement that left me instead, because I was stuck in a big and snuggly hug and _oh god_ , Wendy-nee was crying, I didn't mean for _that_ to happen! "I love you, Wendy-nee, so I-I thought of a song. I-I mean, I could play it on the piano for you if you want that!"

 **Tomoko-chan, I don't think that's the problem…** Hisako was starting to laugh.

Wendy-nee on the other hand shuddered enough for me to feel the vibrations from the closeness as more droplets fell onto my hair. "Tomo-chan, th-that's so sweet of you…!" She proceeded to let out a soft, " _Jeehehehe,"_ that was tinged with something close to a sob, and the panic was already flooding me enough to return the hug fiercely.

"I-I love you, Wendy-nee, really! So, so, please don't cry! I'm sorryyyyyy!"

"Oh, Tomo-chan, I love you tooooooooo…!"

It took about half an hour for my caretaker to compose herself, and by then, I didn't even care that my hair felt like it had been rained upon. My hands were still free, and I could still play a song. The music room was always open.

Even with the massive pile of tissues sitting at the side of the piano bench later, Wendy-nee never stopped smiling.

It was a nice condolence, seeing her grin. I did something good. Wendy-nee was happy! I… just have to make her omurice later because I'm worried that the tears might start up again. Because goodness gosh, I know they're happy tears, but _still!_

Though… there were the pictures that suddenly showed up near my bed the next morning, showing the hopping that started everything. I _still_ needed to ask Jackie-nee how she got that sneaky. Muu.

My Marine caretakers were _both_ dorks, and I love them so much.


	21. Chapter 21: A Father, Not a Ninja

_Summary_ : While on the way to the Whitebeard Pirates, a former ninja is asked why he let his princess go to be with unruly pirates. His answer was a bit harder to come by, but the love is there.

* * *

Inspired by a friend's drawings of Judai's original self back in _Yugioh GX_ , and went with it to help with prepping for a writing midterm.

Themes this time are all for the former Unscatched Hero. _Teardrop_ by BOWL, both the original song and the piano version done by Alejandro Jimenez.

* * *

Back then, everything was set. Everyone was ready to go home. Judai could feel his back ache from all the action alone, and even if his daughter was the cutest little girl he could have, her tackle-hugs could use some work.

It should've been simple. It was as simple as setting up the Hiraishin kunais and seal work for everyone to get out of this place to head back, once Tomoko-chan was safe. He was already missing Hikari, just because donning the headband again was another reminder of that old mask. That same mask he hated putting on, back then, and still now. Even if it was of his own choice, even if it meant saving his only princess, his tanto still felt heavy in his hands through all of his rage.

Whoever or _whatever_ took Tomoko-chan away from him and Hikari was going to _pay_. No one made his wife cry and was going to get away with it. No one was going to get away with _kidnapping_ his hime.

Judai was already prepared to kill.

It should've been simple. Kill any scum without so much as a fuss, clean up the mess, find his daughter, and go home. The others were all for it, if the dark looks on Kei and Kakashi's faces were any indication. If the clenching of Obito's fists were any better sign. But then they met Jack and Wendy. Compared to the other Marines that were in his way, they were honest, unwavering, and most importantly, _protective_ of that same little girl he was looking for.

And if the previous tears in his hime's eyes were any indication, she felt the same way towards them.

" _P-Please don't hurt Nii, Papa! Please!"_

Judai couldn't even recall the last time Tomoko sounded so _desperate_ , holding up her arms protectively in front of Jack when the idea of interrogations was brought up. The idea itself was originally drowned in that old rage, but the look in Tomoko's eyes made it all disappear. It made _everything_ from his old mask disappear. The tears were indicative of any other child, but the _fire_ in those blue eyes was a different story. From making eye-contact alone, in that very moment, Judai felt like he had gone back in time to glimpse a younger version of _Hikari_ all over again.

It had been seven months. Seven. Whole. Months. He couldn't help but agonize back then about what happened, about where his daughter was, if she was okay. It _hurt_ to know that he missed out on seven _fucking_ months of his daughter's life, and all because of _some dipshit_ taking her away when he wasn't looking. To find her again was something he would do _anything_ for. Even if it meant going back into hell. Even if it meant killing anything and _anyone_ that stood against him. But that look. It just took _one_ teary-eyed look and a high-pitched plea, and then it was all gone.

The rage was all gone, and the resignation and exhaustion had come back to replace it.

His heart beat against his chest as he took a breath, twirling a kunai absently from the thoughts as he leaned back against one of the main masts holding the ship afloat with its sails. The tune in his mind was old and familiar, and he hummed to it with a tap of his foot before Jack approached him. The footfalls were obvious with how rugged they were. Today was a "he" day from the looks of it.

"Hey, Judai," Jack said coolly with a wave of his hand.

"Hey, Jack," Judai returned, stashing the kunai back into one of the many pockets on his flak jacket before opening his eyes to make eye contact. A smile comfortably slid onto his face. "What's up?"

Jack shrugged in time with his hat changing its font to a dull, "EH." With a wave of his hand, he replied, "Just thinking," before walking over to stand by Judai's right side, and Judai stepped over one pace to allow more space. "And was wondering something."

"Okay," Judai was intrigued, but hid it and went on with a nonchalant, "What's on your mind?"

"A question." Jack raised one pointer finger as he used his other to adjust his hat. The font on the hat's front changed again to a single bolded question mark to accentuate the intent. "Think I can shoot it by you?"

Judai made sure to relax his shoulders. There was no need to be so tense. Instead of answering, he said, "Before that, who's handling the ship first?"

"Wendy," Jack said dryly with a sheepish shrug. "It helps in calming her down, considering we're going to see _pirates_." He opened his mouth, paused, then closed it. "That's not the point. Lemme ask?"

"Go for it."

Jack sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "Now I see where Tomo-chan gets her demeanor from," he muttered, just as his hat added a quiet, "YEP." Judai didn't know whether the comment was a jab or a compliment. Then again, considering his hime… it could have been both. Another pause before he crossed his arms and leaned back against one of the unoccupied sides of the mast. "Why did you let Tomo-chan go?"

 _That_ was something Judai wasn't fully expecting. Sure, that line of questioning wasn't _wrong_ , considering Minato's own thought processes throughout this entire mission, but Jack? Judai hid his surprise with a casual incline of his head. "What do you mean by that?"

"A thought occurring, really," Jack shrugged, but his body language said otherwise. Curious and if anything, confused. The simple fact that his hat's font expanded to show a larger question mark was proof of that. "Throughout this entire trip, Minato was all about taking Tomo-chan home _with_ you, and then when Leith showed up, _you_ were the one to let her take the Princess along." He frowned while levelling an eye towards him with a wry smile. "Something happen? That prompted the change?"

 _Oh._ Judai took a step forward to stand on his own, stretching. "Something like that. If you had a occurring thought, I had a realization." He looked up towards the sky, just as the sound of the sea graced his ears. The same shade of blue.

Judai already knew if he closed his eyes, he could hear his little Hime calling for him. Hell, even from the corner of his eye, he could've sworn he saw a small figure in a white-pink kimono dress waving at him, just a moment ago.

" _Papa!"_

He took a breath. It wasn't the time to reminisce. "Y'know, Jack?"

"…What is it?"

"You're the first person I've seen Tomoko-chan defend so quickly, y'know. Aside from Wendy."

The backtracking was obvious even when Judai wasn't looking, all because of the footfalls that started this conversation in the first place. This time, the footsteps were hasty and loud against the wooden deck, and Jack sputtered. "Wh-Whaaaa?" A small choking noise, and then a higher-pitched, "What do you mean by _that?"_ followed.

Judai couldn't help but laugh loudly. Jack left himself way too open. He was almost as bad as Tomoko-chan. _Hah._ "I mean it, man, really." Another chuckle left his system as something warm settled into his chest at the thought. "Tomoko-chan is nice to everyone, but you and Wendy? It's the first time in _years_ I've seen her that determined for someone outside of the family." Out of habit, he glanced past the other sail masts to glimpse the ship deck. Yet again, Obito and Kakashi had gotten into an argument, much to Kei's visible chagrin, and he shrugged his shoulders to hide a chuckle. Minato could handle them for now. "Before those ninja kids? She was _never_ that fierce. Sweet and kind, but not that determined for someone."

"Oh," Jack said, calmer, and a few more steps sounded. Judai turned his head to catch a glimpse of that brown hair as the hat atop the Marine's head read, "HUH." He proceeded to adjust the brim of his hat to better shade himself from the sun. "Even… even back at your home?"

The doozy. Judai held back the urge to sigh. From the tone alone, even Jack noticed.

Tomoko-chan was far too kind for her own good. Too hard on _herself_ to make everyone else feel better. Just like someone else he once knew.

It was way too ironic and foreboding for his liking.

"Back at home, she never stopped helping unless Hikari and I told her _not_ to, Jack." The words were bitter even in the open air, and Judai took a breath. "She could've been like other kids. She could've went along and played at the playground with everyone else to have a life outside of ninja. But once she put her hands on that piano?" A soft smile was already forming on his face from the memory alone. The silly, _brave_ little girl. His hime. Even back then. "She was all, 'I want to help Mama and Papa in the cafe!' and it was history." He paused before glancing over to meet Jack's stare with a wry smile. "Didn't she say something similar to you when she first came to you by," he raised his fingers in air quotations, "'black hole thingy'?"

The gesture made Jack tense before breaking out into a soft laugh himself, and Judai politely waited for him to calm down. " _Pffff_ , that's true!" A second, and then Jack wiped at the corner of his eye with his sleeve. "She didn't like that I was paying for everything, and one too many drinks equaled blueberry muffins and that was it."

"That's the thing." Judai could feel his smile turn more wistful as he shrugged his shoulders. "She's so sweet like that, and because of how _shitty_ our world is, she has to see everyone she loves get hurt one way or another. And you've _seen_ how she doesn't care and wants to help us all anyways." It was ironic. _He_ was the same way, and _his_ name was still carved on the Memorial Stone. If Tomoko went away like that…

Jack's eyes widened and he opened his mouth.

Judai raised a hand of his own and shook his head, closing his eyes. The smile couldn't even be wiped away now. The honesty was bleeding through. Hikari was rubbing off on him more than he thought. "I love that little girl so much, and I don't want to see her go down a bad path. If anything, even if I want to fucking _slap_ myself for it, I let her go because those 'bad' pirates and one 'bad' Marine or two have been teaching her a lesson we ninja have been trying to teach her for _years_."

Kei was still trying. Miyako had gotten through, but how long would that last?

Tomoko was stubborn. Like mother, like daughter, that girl.

Jack inhaled sharply. "Lesson? Like what?"

Judai turned to him to give a full smile. "To be more selfish. To be a kid."

Jack's eyes widened again, probably from the realization before they softened to a darker shade of brown. "Judai…"

"Sooooo, yeah." He took a few steps forward to walk away from the mast, facing the sea. Leaving the conversation like this would be way too awkward, and he was _not_ good with awkward. "Thanks. For taking care of my hime. For letting her know she can still be a kid away from home. For letting her be herself without worrying about something else. Without worrying about the world."

Another breath, and a hand landed on his shoulder. Judai didn't have to turn around to know it was Jack's hand. "Glad I could help," he said quietly, and a smile was already in his voice. "She's helped me a lot too."

A chuckle was already leaving Judai's lips again. "She does that. She always does. Though, I guess that means I have more allies in making sure my hime doesn't burn out, huh?"

"The day she tries to save the world from burning all by herself, I'm wrapping her in bubble wrap and not letting her go _anywhere_ ," was the flat response. "She nearly got into a fight _once_ and I'll be damned if she gets into something like that again."

A single second was all it took for the words to stick into Judai's head and not come out. He held back the urge to grab his tanto. "…That settles it. Though, Jack?"

The hand flew off his shoulder. "What?"

"What's this about about a _fight_?"

The Marine raised his pointer finger, paused, then lowered it, a bead of sweat sliding down his cheek. "To be fair, some of my more corrupt coworkers were being _really_ shitty and kinda shitfaced when it happened."

"Still. What's this about a _fight_?"

"At least you didn't see the other guy when he called Tomo-chan a 'furry'? Leith took care of him. I took care of the others."

 _Crik_ , his composure went. _Crik, crik, crik._ "That's not helping, Jack."

"…"

Judai crossed his arms. "You complete _jerk_. Here I was trying to _thank_ you. Now." A teasing smile replaced the grim frown on his face. "How did my daughter start loving you again?"

The unlucky Marine blinked, stared at him, then laughed, a light pink covering his cheeks. "To be honest? I have no idea. It happened?"

 _Hm._ Judai looked Jack over before allowing himself one last laugh. _Naaaaaah._

"H-Hey, what's so funny?!"

Judai shook his head.

 _It's obvious why she'd love you. You're honest, Jack. And you let my hime be a kid again. That's more than enough reason to love._


	22. Chapter 22: Time to Shine!

_Summary_ : The first of the festivities start, and the kids look on, reflecting on what's happened as the adults are pulled into a drinking contest.

* * *

Taking some cues from Lang's own _Ocean Stars Falling_ , since Eli gave me ideas and I wanted to honor the greatest writing inspiration I could've ever had. Plus, I've been friends with Lang and Os for almost two years now, so it's time to give them something sweet. :)

The theme this time is _Shine_ by Casey Lee Williams and Jeff Williams from RWBY. Because it's the perfect party song and to be honest, it's about time to use another RWBY song. :)

For representing Tomoko herself in this chapter, though? _Itsumo Nando Demo_ , or _Always With You_ , the ending song for Spirited Away. The piano version or the original song works just fine. Because it was my first Ghibli movie and the song always helped me relax.

Please enjoy.

* * *

"I can't believe they decided to _party_ ," Kakashi deadpanned first, arms crossed in spite of the moderately heaped plate of food sitting in front of him. That was currently degrading its serving size with each passing second. Guess he was doing the "eat quietly, don't show anyone else what's under the mask" trick again. Of course. "And like _animals_."

"…They're pirates?" I offered helplessly.

Kei was already pinching the bridge of her nose and leaning her head back against the the railing of the ship that kept anyone from falling into the sea behind us. "Tomo-chan. Don't."

 **Don't what?** Hisako said incredulously. She pushed up her glasses to get that old suspicious glare in the lens. **Don't try to justify things? Or don't try to excuse them?**

Instead of asking, all that left my mouth was a weak and measly, "I-I'm sorry."

 **Tomoko-chan…** Hisako sighed. **Not to be the devil's advocate, but I don't think that's the answer she was looking for.**

Sure enough, Obito and Kei both were now giving me equally unimpressed stares. "What did I say about apologizing?" Kei started, at the same time Obito shook his head, mouth twitching up in a nervous smile. "Tomo."

"Uh." Whoops. "Um." I needed to work on apologizing. Like, seriously. Outwardly, I said, "Should I stop?"

"I think we already had this conversation, Tomo."

"THATCH, MORE BOOZE ON THE HOUSE!"

"GOTCHA, POPS!"

The loud clinking of mugs followed, and I glanced down at my own cup of orange juice. The extra apology probably wasn't necessary, but I found myself saying it anyways. Whether out of shame or habit, I didn't even know anymore. "Still. I'm sorry. For the trouble."

Instead of a worded reply, Kei sighed and raised her hand. I wasn't expecting her to reach over and flick my forehead of all things.

It still stung. Even if it had been a few months. "Ow!"

"Just _stop_ apologizing for things that aren't your fault, Tomo," she said firmly, and a small smile was on her face. Huh? "It's not any trouble when it looks like you wanted to be here. Don't you have priorities?" With a roll of her shoulder, she gestured to the party, and I glanced over just to catch a glimpse of Ace-nii twirling Leith-nee around in a clumsy waltz. "Go do what you have to do." A push and then I was stumbling forward and off of my sitting place. Thankfully not spilling my drink and giving myself enough time to finish the thing, because this ship did not need to be more of a mess. "We Genin can wait."

Kakashi huffed loudly through his mask.

" _With_ the resident jackass," Kei amended.

"Oi."

Obito's nervous smile turned into a big grin as he snickered.

My hands were already gripping the hem of my skirt once I got the chance to toss my empty cup of juice into the trash. "Kei…"

She smiled again, jerking her head towards the party. "You're the Princess, Tomo. And princesses have to be there for her people."

 **Now she's just teasing.**

Even so, I could already feel my lip quivering before I ran back. I couldn't go out and be the Princess just yet. Even if it was a nickname, even if everyone on this ship apparently _loved_ me, there was still some people that had and always will have reserved seats in the front row of my heart, and they needed appreciation. All I could see in that split second of running was Kei's widening black eyes before I fell to my knees and wrapped my arms around her neck, squeezing. "Thank you, Kei," I confessed, my voice barely caught between my usual coherence and high-pitched uncertainty. "Just, thank you. I'll be back soon."

 _I'm sorry for leaving for seven months_ , I couldn't help but think. _I'm sorry for leaving you and Team Minato alone_.

Hisako patted my head. **Dear, it wasn't your fault.**

 _I still can't help the way I feel, Hisako. It's been too long._

My Nobody smiled and nodded. **I know.** She paused, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose before adding a quieter, **Don't be too hard on yourself.**

… _No promises._

 **Honey.**

 _I know. I'll try,_ was my way of amending that thought.

Hisako huffed in that way that blatantly said, _I don't believe you_ , but left it at that.

In the outside world, Kei paused, exhaling slowly before a hand landed on the back of my head. "I know you will." I could feel her smile from the closeness as her hand patted my hair gently. "Don't worry about us. You go out and have fun, Tomo." She pushed at my shoulders enough for me to pull away, and she grinned that familiar crooked smile. "You goofball."

"Says the dork," I shot back. I was smiling too. "I can bring back some mochi from the party tables for you later?"

"HEY, HEY, HEY!" Obito immediately shoved his hand between us and I glanced over to see him pout. "What about me?!"

Kakashi raised his hand in the air nearby too.

I blinked. "Am I a delivery girl now?"

Kei rolled her eyes with a snort. "You had a 'Delivery Service' back at the cafe, Tomo. I think it's a given."

 **Why,** _ **oh why**_ **do you set yourself up for these kinds of things, dear?** Hisako lamented. **And here I thought you'd give yourself a break.**

… _Nope!_

 **Tomoko-chan.**

 _Nope_. _Nope, nope, nope._ Outwardly, I just laughed. "Okay, Obi, I get it. I'll try to find some cake for you and something like a banana for Kakashi."

Now it was Kakashi's turn to give me the evil eye. Or at least a questioning one through what little of his face I could see past his mask and hitai-ite. "…Why a banana?"

"It's a fruit and you don't like sweets that much, last I checked?"

Kakashi leaned back against one of the ship's many masts and simply sighed.

"Should I take that as a yes?"

"Just find some broiled saury," he said finally, eyes closed. "Some that's not burnt."

That could work! "Sure!"

Kakashi gave me the same one-eyed stare from earlier before going back to leaning against the mast he was on and closing his eyes. Probably to block out the ruckus around us.

"MORE BOOZE ON THE HOUSE!"

"DUDE!" I could faintly hear Jackie-nee shout over the chaos. "WATCH OUT FOR THE KIDS!"

There was my caretaker. Of course. And Wendy-nee…

"Stay calm around pirates, don't ask for the superiors, stay calm around pirates, _don'taskforthesuperiors_."

Jackie-nee probably needed to be there for her more than anyone else right now. Even if a part of me wanted to run over and profusely apologize for putting her in this situation.

Still, the smile on my face was enough to make my cheeks hurt from how big it was. My ninja friends were okay with things. And yes, the residual heat from the previous embarrassment was included. "Well then! Mochi for Kei," it was hard to miss Kei's smile when I said that, "cake for Obi, and saury for Kashi. I can do that!"

Kei snorted with that same reassuring smile on her face. "As long as you don't _drop_ anything, Tomo, then we're good."

Now _that_ jab was completely unnecessary. I couldn't help but turn my head and glower at my reincarnation buddy, who simply raised her hands in the air in the form of surrender. "Am I _that_ bad?"

Obito raised one of his hands in the air like a student waiting on a teacher, and when I glanced at him, he nervously sputtered, "Sorry, Tomo-chan, but sometimes?!"

My shoulders slumped. Shoot. Was I that predictable? Or just that bad? "Well, I can't deny that." Remembering the number of times _Kei and Miyako-bachan_ both tag-teamed me into _resting_ on specific work days was enough. The memories stuck pretty fast on that note. "I'm trying to get better?"

Kei was the one giving me the disbelieving eyebrow raise now. "Define 'better.'"

"Relaxing with you all now?"

The edges of Kei's mouth twitched as she continued to give me that raised eyebrow. "Coming from the girl who just offered to fetch food?"

My face was already flooding with heat as I heard myself squeak, "I-I wanted to, alright?! I missed you all, I didn't want to sit around watching everyone party all night, I feel kinda restless sitting around, and I just wanted to!" My arms were already crossing over my chest as I puffed my cheeks and turned my head away. "Muuuuu."

Hisako smirked, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. **She's a dork?**

 _She's_ insufferable, _Hisako. Insufferable._

 **You still love her?**

I tried not to roll my eyes. _Yes. Yes, I do._

 **Of course you do.**

"Pffffff," Obito went, and once I rounded on him, he raised his hands in surrender too. "Don't feel bad, Tomo-chan, we get it! Just, uh," he paused, putting a pointer finger to his forehead in thought before raising said finger to point out, "Don't fall!" Another pause. "Please?"

Kakashi put his face into one of his hands.

I ended up rolling my eyes anyways. "Okaaaaaaaay. I'll do my best to not trip over myself, Obi. Orders still the same?"

"Yep," Kei mused, and Kakashi nodded in turn.

I still reached over to lightly bonk Kei on the head with the side of my hand. "You're a dork."

"Says the workaholic goofball," she shot back, and the mischievous smile was obvious. Another second was all it took for her to reach over and tug at my wrist. Eh? "Just be safe, okay?" She poked my forehead.

The serious spark in her eyes was hard to refuse, more so when looking _straight_ into it, and I nodded without thinking. There was no way I could refuse in the first place. Especially after seven months. "Aye. I know. I'll be back."

Kei's smile turned more approving and soft, and she nodded in return before letting go.

It didn't take long to find the party tables, even when factoring in the potential weaving and/or ducking past the many pirates dancing on deck. From freestyle to very clumsy waltzes, it was… something. It wasn't really a college-level party, but then again, Vy wasn't one to talk since she never went to those kinds of parties. And sure, the Whitebeard crew was one of the biggest groups I had seen, Konoha included, so the ship was lively with noise, buuuuuut…

"Are you _already_ tipsy, Hot Stuff? What happened to 'sweeping me off my feet'?"

"I'll — _hic_ — sweep you off your feet, Spoons! Just you wait!"

"Oooooh, I look forward to it."

My siblings were being dorks and I wouldn't put it past my older sister in finding some alcohol to make Ace-nii drunk. Or something. And that last part…

 **Don't think about it?**

 _Yep. Don't think about it._

The number of times that I had to fake being asleep on the previous trip _here_ to the main Whitebeard ship on the Striker was enough. I was _hoping_ to not encounter any more Noodle Incidents, all the while saving my _ears._

Ducking around the nearest leg resulted in some pirates giving me passing glances.

"Hi, Princess!"

"Don't fall!"

"Do you need anything, Princess?"

All this attention would make any girl blush. Right now, I was positive my face was already a radiating _heater_. Just seven months ago, the most attention I would get was the occasional cafe customer, my ninja friends, and my family. But _this?_ Embarrassment, go away, embarrassment, go away, _embarrassmentgoaway_.

"I-I'm good, just need some space, thanks!"

A part of me still wondered how these pirates found a girl like me _adorable_.

The tables were thankfully nearby, occupied by only a select few, so it looked okay to take a plate and look around. Large pieces of meat on a platter, a bowl of cole slaw, a fruit platter, a sliding table stuffed with homemade desserts, a simple bowl for punch, and—

"Saury fish," I voiced to myself, already reaching over to grab the tongs for picking them up. "Found you!"

 **Woo!** Hisako went happily with me.

The fish, even when fully cooked, gave me a blank stare once I picked it up via the head, and dropping it down on the plate didn't take too much effort. Finding mochi and cake wasn't that difficult either, because they were nearby and there was plenty of space. All that was left was finding a silver platter a la my old cafe job, but we were on a pirate ship and not at home, so that was scrapped.

What was left was…

I glanced around.

"THATCH, MORE FOOD, PLEASE!"

"WHAT AM I, A SERVANT?! WAIT A GODDAMN SECOND!"

"YOU CAN DO IT, PINEAPPLE!"

"DON'T CALL ME _PINEAPPLE!"_

Hisako let out a small chuckle. **Time to run?**

I blinked. _Um, no. I have food, Hisako. I don't want it spilling. And everyone's afraid I'm going to_ fall _for some reason._

My Nobody blinked too before her glasses slid down her nose from the realization. **Ah. Hm… then try to sneak around like a ninja?**

… _I never thought I'd hear_ that _from you._

 **We live with ninja and** _ **your best friend in the entire world**_ **is a ninja. Plus our dad** _ **being**_ **a former ninja. I think I have every right to say that by being** _ **your Nobody,**_ **honey.**

 _Point!_ I still tried to power walk and not accidentally _skip_ to get around. Deliveries meant trying to keep the merchandise — I mean, _gifts_ — safe and sound. Thankfully, the pirates were good at noticing a little girl running around, and made way once I spoke up with things such as, "Excuse me!" and "Trying to get through!"

"Oh, hello, Princess!"

"Oiiiiiii, you jerks! Make way for our princess!"

Yeeeeeeep. It didn't stop the calls of my now infamous nickname around the ship, but it helped speed up my running. The only pro to embarrassment there was — I could be Sonic the Hedgehog in sandals! Kinda. Maybe. I wanted to dream a little.

Team Minato, thank goodness, were still in the place where I left them, sitting and/or standing around the ship rails looking as amused as, well, _miffed_ ninjas could be. Aside from Obito, who seemed to be in his element with the loud party, Kei and Kakashi were already wearing expressions that said that they wanted to be _everywhere_ but here, but they were still on the lookout if the stares turned in my direction were any indication. Kei waved at me once, and my heart was already leaping up from happy juice as I ran over. "Food is here!"

"Yay!" Obito crowed, getting up as soon as I reached them, and he took a plate off of me with a warm grin. "Thank you, Tomo-chan!" The side-hug was a nice thing to do. Obi was _still_ snuggly.

Kei ruffled my hair while taking her plate too, pulling at my arm so that I could sit down with her. "Thanks, Tomo." She glanced over the contents before grinning, taking a piece of mochi between her fingers with approval. "Good job on not falling."

 _Uh…._ "Okay?"

 **Take it as a compliment before anything else,** Hisako muttered. **Because you are reckless otherwise, honey, and I'd like a day where I can watch you and** _ **not**_ **worry about you.**

 _I'm sorry._

My other self sighed.

"Hm. It looks like you kept up your training in the time you've been away," Kakashi commented neutrally, and wait, I just _gave_ him his plate — when did half of his food disappear? "We can spar once we get home to check."

"Um," I said, feeling both inadequate and out of place, because _where_ did this come from? "Completely weird reply, but thank you?"

"Don't say that when we haven't even gotten _home_ yet, Tomoko." Even then, another bit of food disappeared when I wasn't looking in the direction of Kakashi's plate. "We have a lot to catch up on."

Meep.

 **Meep, indeed, dear,** Hisako said humbly. **Meep, indeed.**

Out of desperation or what have you, I glanced over at my reincarnation buddy. Kei gave me a simple raised eyebrow while rolling a small piece of mochi between her fingers. "He speaks the truth, Tomo," she muttered, tossing the mochi into her mouth all the while to chew. "You missed a lot."

"Um, I-I'm sorry?"

Obito sighed loudly. "Tomo-chaaaaaaaan."

My heart and mind both thankfully caught up by the time Kakashi was shaking his head. A second too late, mind you, but it was still something. "…Oops." Kei was giving me an unimpressed stare, so all I could do was add a small, "I'll work on it?"

Kei reached over and poked my cheek. "Goofball."

"I know. Trying to get better."

My reincarnation buddy scoffed again, rolling her eyes. The gesture already screamed, _I don't believe you,_ without her even saying it. "Just don't fall over on us."

"Hey…"

Obito sighed again before taking up a small fork to cut into his cake. "Not that this party isn't fun, but Rin-chan'll give us all an earful at this rate."

 _Shit_. I completely forgot about Ricchan. "Oh god."

Hisako surprisingly was silent.

Kakashi was already halfway through his fish when he gave me a single stare. "No apologizing." Another bit of fish disappeared with the words, and he closed his eyes. "It's fine. Things happen on missions. We can just make it out as, 'sudden kidnapping.'"

 **…Was that a joke?**

"Kashi? I get that you're trying to help, but I don't think that makes things any better."

My housemate shrugged while gesturing to the rest of the ship with his shoulder. "How else are we supposed to write the mission report? 'Party and sudden wedding stopped everything?'"

"How about 'pirates are horrible in taking our best friend away'?" Obito suggested.

 **Er.** My Nobody paused before adding a small, **How is that going to look to the Third Hokage?**

I could feel myself sweat as familiar words were on my tongue. "Should I try—"

Team Minato all swiveled around to give me the same disapproving stare. "No."

"But—"

" _No."_

Welp. Even when there were enough small differences to let me know whose stare belonged to who, it was still something to witness. A spectacle canon would never bestow, strangely enough. I never thought I'd see a day where Obito and Kakashi would _purposefully_ be in unison. Then again, my reincarnation buddy had her own social magic.

"Tomo." Kei stuffed a piece of mochi into my mouth while bopping my head with her other hand. "No. Apologizing."

I chewed on the little sweet, swallowed, and then nodded. "Should I stay here then?"

"YES!" Obito yelled instead. Kakashi put his face in his hands. "Team Awesomeness needs to hang out!" He paused before adding, "Everyone keeps taking you away, Tomo-chan! _We_ need to be the ones to take you out for once!"

Oh, Obito. How did I miss you?

"Sure? I mean," Obito was giving me an exasperated stare now, "Um, I'll stay! I don't have much to do…"

Looking over in the direction of all the adults confirmed a _drinking contest_ going on. Aaaaaaaah.

Kei was looking really exasperated, but the sparkle of mirth in her eyes was unmistakable. "Y'know what? If you don't plan on being the pirates' princess right now, how about I get you food this time, Tomo?"

 _GROWL._

The heat was already back on once I glanced down at my middle. _GROWL._

I freely admit it. I squeaked out, like Minnie Mouse and all, a small "…Please? Curry bread would be nice."

Kei chuckled and nodded just as Obito nearly spit out his bite of cake from laughter. The dorks. My dorks.

How did I grow to miss them again?

* * *

"KANPAI!"

There was a lot of glass clinking and cheering. My ears were starting to tingle from all the noise. My legs were still sore from all the dancing and sudden _carry-hugs._ Let it be said that pirates and Marines both had a lot of energy, and being at the center of them from wanting to bring some kind of music both equalled being their stage queen… or something. "Piñata" wasn't the right word anyways.

Right now, the title of "Princess" was starting to sound more and more like "a decoration to be adored and loved by providing all the world," and that was still weird to think about. A part of me _still_ wanted to ask everyone why "cute" was an adjective to be used to describe me.

Buuuuut.

"C'mon, Hot Stuff, I know you can handle another shot!"

"Oh yeah? C'mere, Spoons!"

Yeah, drinking contest was in session and I was still a kid.

My eyes were already drifting closed as my makeshift pillow shifted. "Tomo, I get that you're tired, but I'm not a makeshift bed."

"Try living with pirates and Marines for a few months and get back to me," I couldn't help but mutter, lifting my head off of Kei's shoulder nonetheless. In spite of my heart crying out otherwise because it was my best friend and she was still _snuggly._ "I'm sorry—"

Kei flicked my forehead. "I said no more apologies, Tomo," she chided, but the tired smile on her face was obvious. "If you need to rest, just say it before you add in any accidental jabs."

"So, could I—"

She was already pulling me in for a side hug before I could finish. "I let you before."

"Yaaaaaay. Love you, Keiiiiii."

My reincarnation buddy was shaking her head, but the cheek resting on top of my hair was comforting. "You goofball." She was quiet for a moment before her hand squeezed my shoulder. "You work yourself too much."

"I don't regret anything~?"

Kakashi was shaking his head too from the corner of my eye, pinching the bridge of his masked nose. The noise from around us must've been bothering him, if his tense shoulders were any indication. And his not sitting down on the deck like the rest of us. "This coming from the girl who handles a lot of Nagareboshi Cafe's performances by herself?"

"I like doing that. A lot." I raised a finger of my own, even in the face of my own exhaustion. "It let me meet you and Kei and Obi and everyone else back at home anyways…!"

Obito snickered against his newest cup of juice. "She has a point, Bakashi!"

"Don't call me on that on a mission, Obito," Kakashi said sharply, but to me, he then grumbled a small, "Alright, you win."

"Wooooo, I win something…"

"You cheer over that?"

 **A victory is a victory!** Hisako answered proudly for me. **Go children's metabolism and energy!** She paused before staring at me down with a quiet, **You** _ **better**_ **be enjoying this with some rest and not overworking yourself again, dear.**

 _Um._

 **Don't you even dare think on finishing that thought and arguing with me, honey. Everyone's called you out already.**

Yep. It was about time to give up. _Okay,_ I said mentally instead.

"Tomo," was Kei's amused breath over my head. "I thought you were tired?"

"Muuuuuu…?" A yawn unintentionally left my lips after that.

"Never mind."

There was another distant shout of, "KANPAI!" as my eyelids continued to droop. Blinking didn't help much, because my vision was still blurry and Kei was still _warm_. Oh, how I missed her. And her hugs. "What round are they on now…?"

"Dunno," Kei said honestly, but a hand gently rested against the side of my head, absently brushing some tangles out while avoiding my hair ribbon. "It looks like some people have already passed out or gave up against Captain Whitebeard." Some rustling, and then, "Your siblings seem to be holding up. Kinda."

"Jackie-nee…?"

"Somewhere with Wendy!" Obito chirped with a small burp. Did he grab something fizzy to drink or something? "I think they were dancing?" He paused before saying, "Not the point. Need me to pull out a blanket, Kei?"

"Nah," Kei shrugged, moving just the slightest bit and I tried to follow her gestures in a way that didn't add any uncomfy feelings. "I think I'm good." She still nudged me gently. "Tomo, I don't think you should fall asleep now. At least wait until we find a bedroom. And for your dad to come back."

Resident Uchiha thankfully voiced the question first. "Where _did_ Judai-san go anyways?"

 **Woot, woot, Channel Kakashi tuning in.** "Somewhere with Sensei."

 _Hm…?_

Another "KANPAI" echoed in the night sky.

"Muuuuugu…" left my throat in protest as I snuggled into Kei's side to try blocking out the noise. _I'm sorry,_ my mind filled in instead to Kei's previous question, _you're comfy and I love you. I missed you. You're really warm and I like being near you._

A scoff sounded above my head. "Huh. Sleepy already?" The cheek on my hair lightly bonked the top of my head. "You goofball."

I tried to move off her shoulder anyways. "Muuuu… If you have a problem, I can move—"

Kei bonked my head while pulling me back anyways. "Tomo. I said it was fine. And besides, when was the last time you were spoiled? Don't say the pirates. Or Jack-san."

"Ummmm…" My voice cracked from sleepiness as I fought back another yawn.

"Tomo-chaaaaaaan," Obito groaned. Was he angry? Or exasperated? My ears' ringing from my resting against Kei wasn't helping. "This is horrible! We _need_ to take you out more often! Seriously, when was the last time you had a party like this without _you_ being the one making it?!"

"Um." I couldn't help the yawn this time, and once moisture gathered in my eyes, my hand reached up to wipe at it. "I dunnoooo?" The slur wasn't even intentional. It just happened.

And was it just me, or did I hear a camera click? Or was it tap dancing?

…Naaaaaaaaah.

 **Go sleeeeeeeeeep. Your dad — well,** _ **our**_ **dad,** Hisako corrected with a shrug, **can handle himself. The ninja friends are still ninja, so you can conk out, dear.**

 _But…_

In the distance, another loud, "KANPAI!" shook the ship.

Even with my eyes half-closed and the cheers that followed the previous "KANPAI", Kakashi sighing in the distance was obvious. "You work too hard."

"I'm used to it…?"

Kei jolted before bonking the top of my head, harder. Um, _ow._ "Go rest, Tomoooooo." I don't think I ever heard her drag out my nickname like that before. Even with the residual pain left over from the bonk, I could do nothing but lean into her side, holding back the urge to yawn as I fought the urge to let my eyes close. "Stop pushing yourself."

"But, Kei, you and Team Minato…" I couldn't leave again. Everyone was blurry, but I could still look up and—

"Tomo." My vision was still not 20/20 from all the exhaustion, but Kei's unimpressed face said everything. When did she pull away from the hug? Better question — Was she glaring? Or scolding? Her eyes were narrowed down to focus on just me, and the cold metal touching my forehead was real. Was it her hitai-ite? "We'll be fine. _I'll_ be fine. You go sleep." And without any further ado, she pulled me back into the side-hug from before, squeezing. "We'll be here with you tomorrow morning too. We're not leaving, Tomo."

"Oh…" left me quietly, and with that, my battle was lost. My eyes were already closing against my will as the feeling started to slowly recede from my hands — a sign that the night was coming again. "Night night then, Kei, Obi, Kashi…"

Something, or _someone_ was leaning against my other side. Obito? "Sleep well, Tomo-chan."

"Don't fall, Tomoko."

"Muuuuu…" _Kashi, don't be so stiff…_

The cheek from before gently rested against my head. "Night, Tomo."

 _Love you too, Kei… Oh. And, and… Night night, Hisako…_

 **Good night, honey. Sleep well.**

All I could register was a hand gripping mine and what felt like a kiss brushing my head before my breathing evened out to the point of unconsciousness.

* * *

"KANPAI!"

"I can still… _hic,_ win this! Just you wait, Cap'n!"

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard was still laughing even with his face partially flushed and his wine barrel still mostly full. "I'd like to see that, you cheeky brat!"

Ace was still tipsy as Leith was laughing into his chest. Judai was already giving the group a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed stare as Jackie considered her options. Minato was, well, somewhere, considering his being Judai's ninja comrade and all, and Wendy…

"No taking food from pirates, no taking food from pirates, _notakingfoodfrompirates."_ Yep. Wendy was still muttering to herself in her corner. Huddled with a cup of juice and a plate of food from Tomo and all.

Jackie raised a hand in her direction. "Wendy? Want to tuck in?"

The sheer _relief_ shining in Wendy's purple eyes when she raised her head to look in Jackie's direction was enough to make Jackie sweat a bit. "You know a room?!"

"I do." She tried to laugh it off as gently as she could while walking over to help Wendy up to her feet. "Our room is in the first cabin on the left hallway."

"YES!" Wendy fist pumped before shaking Jackie's hand and running towards the nearest exit. "Thanks, Jack!"

Jackie let her go with a small wave. She needed a break too.

Now, for the kids…

Jackie glanced past the snoozing pirates and the few still awake. _They should be around—_

Her heart stopped and she had to stop a squeal from leaving her mouth.

Tomo-chan, the adorable _angel,_ was snuggled up to Kei all over again, sleeping peacefully in her white blouse and flowery skirt. Kei was still just as alert as her teammates nearby, what with her sword strapped to her back and all, but the side hug was obvious even from Jackie's point of view. Why else would Kei be offering her shoulder?

"KANPAI!" went on behind her, and Jackie made her decision. Judai didn't even have to prompt because the choice was obvious.

Walking over didn't take too long, and all the kids with the exception of Tomo-chan noticed. "Jack-san?" Kakashi blinked at her as she smiled and put a finger to her lips, shushing him. Thankfully, Obito didn't yell out like he did the first time, nodding as understanding and realization spread throughout the group. "Time to get some rest?"

"Yep," Jackie whispered, before kneeling down to that little girl's height. Kei was already wearing a knowing smile as she nudged Tomo softly. That angel, the sweetie, she was drooling a little and her hair was a bit fluffed to the point of making her hair ribbon lopsided, but it was still that little girl that fell into her office so long ago. Jackie kept her voice quiet. "Tomo-chan?"

"Tomo," Kei prodded with an additional poke to her friend's cheek. "Jackie's here."

"Muuuuuuu?" The noise too was cute as Tomoko's eyes fluttered open, albeit slowly. Blank blue eyes then focused in on her as Jackie kept back the urge to shake her head. "Jackie-neeeeeee? Who—" the girl yawned as she leaned back to give Kei some room, doing her best to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Who won? And…" Tomo glanced around before focusing back on Jackie with as much confusion a sleepy child could show. "Why are there stars?"

Jackie didn't even hesitate in leaning over to take the girl in her arms to carry. "No one's won yet because they're stubborn and silly, baby," she murmured, adjusting her hold so that Tomoko could lean against her shoulder. "There's stars because you fell asleep and it's late." The stars were already bright in the sky and the moon reflected in the sea was no laughing matter. "Bedtime now, sweetie." To the rest of the kids, Jackie put on her best parent-glare. "You too, Kei, Obito, Kakashi."

Kakashi rolled his eyes while standing up from his post as Obito stretched his arms. Kei was the only one who didn't look fully convinced, getting up to shoulder her kodachi. "Not to be rude, Jackie-san, but there _are_ rooms for us, right?"

Yep. Those eyebags alone proved that Kei needed sleep too.

"You kids are _all_ sharing a room, because pirates can be barbaric," Jackie deadpanned while starting to walk, doing her best to not jostle the half-asleep angel in her arms. "Whitebeard already showed me the place. Just follow along, because _I_ need sleep too."

Wendy was probably already snoring away in their room, anyways. And a blanket and pillow was already too tempting to her sleep-deprived brain.

Sure enough, the ninja didn't argue anymore after that. It didn't even take Minato and Judai to convince them this time. Progress!

Still. Walking didn't take too much effort, nor did kicking the door down, but what stole Jackie's heart wasn't even the whole day.

All it took was Tomo, the sweetheart, leaning in to rest her nose against Jackie's neck. Her arms were lazily draped against Jackie's shoulders for a half-hearted snuggle, but what sealed the deal were the sleepy words whispered into her ear for Jackie _alone_ to hear. "Love you too, Jackie-nee…"

Before Jackie could say anymore, Tomoko's breathing evened out, her head lolling against Jackie's shoulder as her hands fell back to rest in her lap.

Jackie's nose seized up as her vision blurred.

Mid-stride, Kei paused. "Jackie-san? Are you crying?"

"YES," Jackie confirmed vehemently while hugging the girl tighter to herself.

This angel. This adorable little girl.

Once the ninja kids had entered their room first, Jackie made sure to wait a little in order to press a warm kiss against Tomo's exposed forehead. It didn't even matter that Tomoko was asleep. It had to be said. "I love you too, Sis."

Jackie didn't know how long she had until Tomoko had to go home. But this moment, just _this_ moment, with the little girl in her arms, safe and smiling — she didn't want it to end.


	23. Chapter 23: Music Practice

_Summary_ : The morning after the drinking contest, a young girl awakens. Smiling at her friends, she gently sneaks out of their shared bedroom for a moment to herself. The early morning is all the company she has, and it's enough to partake in an activity she has missed out on. Also, there's a bird.

* * *

A thought that has been circulating in my head for the past year, fully fleshed out behind my eyes when I was studying in the most recent winter and made all the more apparent when listening to music while walking to a classroom.

The songs that are actually _sung_ in-story consist of (1) AmaLee's English cover of Mermaid Melody's _Legend of Mermaid_ (since the original song was used in _The Sea and Stars_ already and, well, the English lyrics done by AmaLee fit better in terms of writing things), and (2) Goldwin Productions' Acoustic version of RWBY's _Let's Just Live._ Because it's about time both of those songs made an appearance in this story.

Please enjoy!

* * *

It wasn't the first time I found myself waking up from unconscious movement. Going to sleep was always the strangest feeling because of how you sometimes moved around in your sleep without meaning to. And even when living in the old world, there were those few nights, or early mornings, really, where my mind woke up first and then everything else followed. Sometimes it was test anxiety.

This time, it was simple chance.

Today was one of those days of early rising. My vision was blurry when my eyelids first opened, and the first thing that registered in my head was the sound of nearby breathing and the telltale twitch of my arm.

Wait a second. When did I raise my arm in the air in the first place? Was dream-me grasping at something?

I blinked again. Thankfully, there was the usual sleep-dust in the corners of my eyes with the lack of anything wet. Good. I didn't cry this time.

 **Hm…**

I tried not to jolt. _Hisako…?_ Even my mental voice was sleepy.

My Nobody simply looked up from her newest book in the library, glasses sliding down her nose as she smiled. **Oh. Good morning, Tomoko-chan. You were moving quite a bit in your sleep.**

Ack. I held back a wince. _Are you okay?_

 **Honey, I'm your Nobody. I should be the one asking** _ **you**_ **that question.**

I paused, lowering my arm from its sudden place in the air to rub at my eyes. _I mean, I_ feel _okay? Tired, but…_ I took a breath. My chakra receded from its canopy of flooding my senses with the inhaled oxygen coming into my lungs, and the smile couldn't even be stopped from growing on my face. _Well-rested. Relaxed, I think._

 **Well then,** Hisako got up from her armchair, and the mental pat on top of my head felt nice. **That's more than what I could ask for.** She opened her mouth before closing it, looking through my eyes to glance up at the ceiling. **Wanna check out the room?**

With nothing else to do, I did my best to not make a sound while gently swiveling my head to both sides. On the left exposed bunk beds, where Obi and Kashi were still asleep. Obi, unsurprisingly, took bottom bunk, considering his hugging a pillow and quietly snoring. From my vantage point of a futon on the floor — and hey, I like futons, sue me — Kakashi was pretty still in his sleep, not even twitching when I wiggled in my blankets.

And, on the right…

The messy black cowlicks were obvious even without the hitai-ite tying them down as I held down the happy noise bubbling up in my throat.

Kei. My reincarnation buddy. She had taken up a futon near me at one point during the night, and surprisingly enough, was still _asleep._ That _rarely_ if not _never_ happened, considering her being a sensor. Every single time we had a sleepover, if I _ever_ woke up before her, she would wake up almost immediately afterwards.

But, just maybe. This time, could it be because…

 **Her eyebags seem almost pitch black this time.**

Oh.

I made sure to gently tug on my chakra to conceal it as best as I could. Not so much to give off the sensation of being a ghost — _bad idea_ considering how bad Kei and everyone else took it when I was gone _before_ — but hopefully enough so that Kei wouldn't wake up. From the looks of her eyebags and Hisako's observation, she _needed_ more sleep. Last I checked, grumpy morning Kei was not a Kei I wanted to see.

To summarize, I did not want to be the cause of her losing sleep.

Once my chakra had settled, I took another breath. Kei's blanket was still a bit off from reaching her chin, so I reached over as gently as I could to grab the top of the cover and tuck her in.

"Sleep well, Kei. I'll be back soon," I found myself whispering.

The rest of the routine was simply a matter of getting out of my blankets, folding up my futon, and gently tiptoeing out of the shared room I had with Team Minato. For once, I found myself internally thanking Ace-nii and Leith-nee for having that large party last night, because my ninja friends didn't do so much as _twitch_ when I had closed the door. Social exhaustion was most certainly a thing.

Overall? It was a good sign. My friends could rest, the majority of the Whitebeard ship seemed to still be asleep, and from the looks of nearby windows, the sun was starting to rise.

This could work.

 **No one else is around, dear,** Hisako said softly. **Go brush your teeth, change your clothes, and then you can sing all you want.**

The thought was already tempting. My sandals were thankfully sitting right outside the door of the room I had with my friends, so slipping into them wasn't a problem. The only situation left was _finding_ a change of clothes, considering the room I just left had the wardrobe and there was _no_ way I was going back in there if it meant risking my ninja friends' sleep.

Where could I…

 **Honey, look to the right of your shoes.**

 _Huh?_ I looked over, then blinked. _When did that pile of clothes get there?_

 **Sweetie, they've** _ **been**_ **there.** Hisako sighed, hands on her hips. **We do need to brush up on your situational awareness.**

 _Heeeeeey._

Another sigh before a mental pat on my head followed. **Just read the note.**

 _Note?_ I glanced back to the pile. Sure enough, there was a small piece of paper lying on top of the shirt. I made sure to carefully take the bundle of clothing in my arms while holding the paper up to read. _Oh. This is Papa's handwriting._

 **'Thought you wanted to sing a bit, but make sure to change first, hime. Mama left these with me for you when I found you,'** Hisako recited before cooing. **Awwww. We love you too, Mom, Dad.**

The happy blush was already flooding my face as I squeezed the garments to my chest. No wonder the pile looked familiar and I initially missed it. The garments consisted of Mama's usual pink and purple color scheme she had for me. The small bits of lace and flowers adorned on the flowy skirt made it all the more obvious she spent a lot of time on it. And the _pink_ ribbon keeping the collar of the blouse in place was already making my nose seize up.

 _I love you, Mama, Papa,_ I couldn't help but think while quietly running over to the nearest bathroom. _I'll be with you both soon too._

* * *

The main deck of the ship was empty with the singular exception of that one shipmate up near the top of a mast, looking out with a telescope. Probably for morning observation, or lookout, I wasn't sure of the ship lingo. Still, it didn't take long for the telescope to be pointed down in my direction, and the man in question moved the instrument down to grin at me. "Good morning, Princess!"

"G-Good morning to you too!" I said back with a tiny wave of my hand, trying not to blush because really, the sun hadn't fully risen yet and I was _already_ getting attention.

"Is there anything you need?" he continued in that same happy gruff voice, waving back at me.

"No, I'm okay!" The wind was a bit cold, but pushing my hair back helped bring across that nice sea salt smell. "Just get back to your work! Thank you for asking!"

"No problem! Anything for our Princess!"

"E-Eh?"

I didn't even have a chance to sputter in protest before he winked and disappeared past the mast with a salute of goodbye.

 **Yep. You have a legion of pirates waiting to kill for you, my lady.**

 _Please don't joke like that, Hisako, please._

 **Sorry.**

I glanced around. The deck was still mostly empty aside from that one lookout, and the birds were chirping. There were plenty of corners to choose from. Just, which one…

 **Honey?** Hisako placed a hand on my head. **How about you try the corner from last night? Near the railing of the ship? The sun's shining on that area there quite nicely.**

It was an idea. Glancing over in that direction revealed no one aside from one chirping bird on the railing, and the way the sunlight was coming down on that area was already bringing a smile to my face.

 **It's like home, isn't it?**

Aside from the lack of awning from a patio, it could work. I did my best to power walk over there without making too much noise, in the stray hopes that _no one_ followed me. Putting a hand on the railing confirmed the strength of the wood with its lack of splinters. The bird from before turned out to be an actual bluebird, its orange belly glinting in the sun as it chirped at me sweetly from the side.

"Hi there, pretty birdie," I said absently with a small wave. Even if it was the prettiest bluebird I had ever seen, it was still wild, and that meant giving respectable distance. "I hope you don't mind the company."

The bird responded with an equally polite chirp. That seemed like enough permission.

Then again, what was I doing? I was making conversation with a _bird._ This was Mr. Hat all over again, just with another living being that couldn't actually _talk._

"Hee hee." I took a step back to lean against the nearby mast. No wonder Kakashi was leaning against this one last night — it was surprisingly comfy with its build. "A singing companion. That's a nice change from home. Thank you, pretty birdie."

The bird chirped again, softer this time.

I closed my eyes, clasped my hands together, and began practicing. Or, maybe a better term would be _remembering._

Vy always did like the sea and tales of a mermaid.

" _Colors on the wind,_

 _Floating from a different world_

 _Greet the dawn with a song_

 _To welcome the daybreak._

 _It's a melody I hear in my memory_

 _Where I watch birds take flight off into the eastern sky."_

It was always at this time of day that I felt the most powerful. The most _real_. No one else was around, everyone was asleep, and my company was just nature. The sea, the birds, the sun. At home, it would be the forest, but it was the same effects nonetheless.

I could sing at full volume, with no judgement from the cafe or any upset ninja.

For once, in these moments alone, I could be Vy again. I didn't have to worry about canon making shit of my family and friends' lives. Hell, I didn't have to think about anything. It was just me, with the music.

And hey, I had a bird companion here to share the memories this time. The soft trills of its singing too, made the sunlight feel all the warmer.

" _No time to waste… Can we escape?_

 _To a place where the treasure lies._

 _Out here on the seven seas,_

 _We will find our paradise._

 _Can we be reborn in the wake of the storm?_

 _So that I can tell you the words of my heart._

 _There is so much I would give to you,_

 _But in one life, there is not enough time._

 _Underneath the waves, there is a melody_

 _Telling our story of faraway lands._

 _I'll sing along so I won't forget._

 _So through this song, may the tale live on."_

Once the last words left my lips, my heart beat softly as I opened my eyes. The sun had already started rising past the horizon and the same bluebird from before was still perched on the railing, just a bit closer to where my hand would've been if I had put it on that same railing. It chirped again.

"I'm not going to end at one song, birdie, don't worry." I smiled at it in what I hoped was a comforting gesture before leaning back and taking a breath again.

In all my time here in the New World, I never did find the time to sing this one until now.

 _"It used to feel like a fairy tale,_

 _Now it seems we were just pretending_

 _We'd fix our world, then on our way to a happy ending._

 _Then it turned out life was far less like a bedtime story,_

 _Than a tragedy with no big reveal of the hero's glory._

 _And it seems we weren't prepared_

 _For a game that wasn't fair._

 _Do we just go home? Can we follow through? When all hope is gone, there is one thing we can do…_

 _Let's just live! Day by day, and not be conquered by our sorrows._

 _The past can't hold us down, we must break free._

 _Inside we're torn apart, but time will mend our hearts._

 _Move onward, not there yet, so_ _ **let's just live**_ _!"_

It took opening my eyes to realize that the tears were bubbling up again. I made sure to quietly wipe them away, taking as deep of a breath as I could to not sniffle.

It was also these moments that reminded me that I still missed home. It was moments like these that reminded me that peace wouldn't last forever.

Hisako didn't have to say anything. She simply reached over and hugged me, pressing a mental kiss to the top of my head as always.

The sound of a single footstep was all it took for me to turn around, and I couldn't even find it in me to jump once I swiveled my head past my bluebird companion to make eye contact with black eyes.

"Yo," Kei said with a small wave of her hand. She was wearing a tank top and the usual shinobi pants over mesh, lacking her original white-blue hoodie, but she was still my friend. Messy black cowlicks, eyebags, ninja sandals, and all.

"Hi," I replied, taking a quiet breath to calm my nerves because _holy shit,_ if not for that one footstep, I wouldn't have noticed her. My ninja best friend was _still_ a ninja and getting snuck up on during singing practice wasn't exactly fun. A part of me was already wondering if I even got to hear that footstep because she made it on _purpose._ "When did you get there, Kei?"

"Just at the beginning of _Let's Just Live,_ Tomo." Kei shook her head before taking another step forward and wrapping an arm around my shoulders to squeeze in another side hug. Did she notice? "You still sing good, but." She paused. "Question. What are you doing awake?"

Okay, good. She didn't notice the almost-cry. She might've but decided not to mention it. Thank goodness.

"Unconscious twitch woke me up and I felt like singing. But I should be asking you that question, Kei," I pointed out, reaching up to poke at her cheek. She batted my hand away, but I couldn't help the grin back. "I conked out way earlier than you and Team Minato last night. Why are _you_ awake?"

"Noticed you weren't in bed." Kei huffed above my hair and was already turning her head to look out towards the same sea I was singing to. "Went looking."

"Oh." I leaned into her side anyways, reaching over with one arm to hug her middle. And here I thought I could sneak out and let her sleep without worrying about me for once. "I was just out here. I'm okay, y'know."

Kei sighed again before a cheek bonked my head. "I know that _now,_ Tomo. It's just been way too long."

I didn't know what to say to that. I wanted to apologize, but we had a talk about that yesterday. I couldn't do that. Adding onto my excessive apologizing wouldn't change the fact that it was _still_ excessive apologizing.

What could I say?

Instead of finding an answer, the bluebird from before chirped again, breaking the silence.

"Oh, I know, birdie," I said to it with a small smile, "I just need to rest with a good friend before I sing again. Is that okay?"

The bird fluffed its blue plumage in a bit of protest before tilting its head at me with another shorter chirp.

"I know, I know, I'll sing again in a little bit, birdie, just give me a second."

I didn't have to raise my head to know Kei was giving me a silly expression. A frown, wide eyes, I don't know. All I did know was that she was thrown for a loop, again. "You're talking with someone other than a human again? First a hat, now a bird?"

"Early mornings do things to me, Kei," I said placatingly before smiling at the bluebird. "Or how about you sing, pretty birdie? You have a pretty voice too."

The bird blinked its black eyes at me, head still tilted. Another chirp was its response before it opened its beak and started a song almost like the tunes from the old Cinderella movie from Disney. It was, as expected, pretty. And cute. The trills complimented the occasional splash of the sea water against the hull of the ship.

"Heh." Kei squeezed my shoulders again as she ducked her head and continued to stage whisper. "Leave it to you to get a bird to sing for you, Tomo."

"Shhhh," I said instead, lightly bonking her shoulder in return with my head. "Just bask in it. You don't get this every day."

I didn't have to look up to know Kei was rolling her eyes, but she tightened the side hug anyways. I let her.

The tune continued for a little while. The sunlight got all the more apparent with the dark of the night receding for the light blue sky of the morning, and it was just peaceful. It was nice.

Once the sweet song had finished, the bird gave me a single opened eye and gestured with a shrug of its wings, chest puffed out in expectation.

"You did amazing, pretty birdie," I couldn't help but clap, smiling from ear to ear and all. "Thank you for that."

A happier chirp was my answer before it opened its wings, flashing its orange belly at us before taking flight. It flit around us for a few moments, and I raised my right hand in the air, fingers curled just in case. The bird tilted its head again, almost as if considering the offer before exposing its feet, gently flapping its wings to perch on my hand. Another chirp ensued.

"You did good, pretty birdie," I told it gently, keeping the squeal down in my throat all the while. "Thank you for the company. You can go now."

It gave me another, albeit softer, chirp as it folded its wings against its sides.

"You're a very cute birdie." It took a second for me to realize that was _Kei_ speaking, and I kept my hand as steady as I could for my reincarnation buddy to continue talking. Or cooing, really. This wasn't exactly the best time to laugh at the newest revelation of my best friend being weak to a bird. "Thanks for keeping my best friend around. I'm sure you know you're great, don't you?"

The bluebird tilted its head towards Kei and simply chirped again, clearly lighter and happier.

I didn't even have to raise my head to know Kei was smiling, and I held back a giggle of my own as soon as the bird gently let go of its perch of my hand to fly around us in a circle again. "Have a safe journey, birdie," Kei said with a wave of her free hand. "Keep out of trouble!"

"Have a happy life, pretty birdie!" I added, and I waved too. "Take care of yourself!"

The bird flapped its bright blue-white feathered wings one last time before chirping at us in goodbye and proceeding to fly off, into the distance.

I slowly lowered my hand as the silence from before came back.

 **That… just happened, didn't it?**

I wiggled a little so that I could make eye contact with my reincarnation buddy, hiding a gigantic smile. "I didn't know you had a thing for _birds,_ Kei."

Kei shrugged, but she was smiling too. "Birds are cute, and I just like cute things, Tomo."

"Including dogs and cats?"

" _Especially_ dogs and cats."

Awwww. The ninja world hadn't taken away all of Kei's human side after all. She was still _Kei._

 **Awwww.** Hisako repeated affectionately.

I couldn't help but turn around and give her a full-on hug. "Thank you for that. I really enjoyed it." The last words took a little while to come out, but I tucked my nose into her shoulder and said them anyways. I couldn't be anything but honest. It was hard to even _lie_ because it was my best friend. "I missed you."

A huffing breath rustled the top of my head before a nose gently brushed the crown of my hair. "I told you that I'd be fine and that Team Minato would all see you the next morning, didn't I?"

"You did," I admitted, but I couldn't find it in me to let go of the hug yet. "I just wanted to hug you."

 _I'm sorry for worrying you again,_ I thought to myself. _I'll do my best to stay out of trouble. You deserve better, Kei._

I couldn't say it aloud. There were enough apologies from my mouth to fill an entire book, and I already knew Kei had enough of that. So, hug.

"Goofball," but Kei still hugged back, squeezing tight enough to confirm her presence, but not so much so that it was painful. It was like home. "Do you ever get tired of hugging me, Tomo?"

I pulled away to boop her nose, pouting. "Nope. _Never._ You're just that snuggly."

"Tomo."

"Hey! It's the truth!"

Kei scoffed before patting my head. "C'mon. Let's get back inside before you get sunburnt, Tomo. Or Obito throws a fit." She paused before adding a small, "Before anyone else gets on our asses for _something."_

I blinked. "It's possible to get sunburnt in this weather?" I paused before another thought occurred. "Can ninja even _get_ sunburnt?"

"Maybe not us, but _you_ would if you stay out here any longer, you goofball." Kei still pulled on my forearm anyways. "Let's go. Leith-san would probably want to grab you for something anyways, and last I checked, Team Minato still has ownership of you until lunch."

The smile was big enough to the point of stretching my cheeks. My friends. My best friends in the whole wide world. Kei was amazing. "Okay!"

It was hard to _not_ skip with Kei leading me back, never letting go.

* * *

"Heeeeeeeeeey! Chickadeeeeeee!"

I could already see Kakashi and Kei both try not to sigh once my big sister skipped over to the table where we were all having breakfast, wrapping her arms around my neck from behind. "Hellooooooo, Princess!" Leith-nee paused before adding, "And ninja and Jack."

"H-Hi, Leith-nee," I said gently, swallowing my bit of soup before returning the hug with a pat of her hand.

Jack-nii, this time on a "he" day, let out a weak, "Hey."

"No title for me, Leith?" Papa interjected, putting down his piece of bread.

"Eh. It'd be 'Tomo's dad' or 'Retired Badass Who Needs to Get Laid,'" Leith-nee said instead, and already my face was flushing red. Kei didn't look all that amused, and the disgust on Kakashi's face was palpable. Jack-nii and Wendy-nee were already resembling stone statues.

 **What.**

"OH MY _GOD,_ SPOONS." Ace yelled from across the mess hall. Nearby, I could've sworn I heard more stage whispering than was _necessary,_ and a familiar " _Gurarararara."_

"LEITH!" Papa snapped, face a full blown red just as Minato-san took it upon himself to cover Obito's ears, much to his protesting squawk. "You realize we're with the kids! Nothing 18 and up!"

"…Whoops," Leith-nee then reached over to smile brightly down at me. "Pretend you didn't hear the last part from me, Princess."

I took a breath, nodded wordlessly, and turned to Hisako instead. _Help me forget?_

My Nobody was already carrying a broom. **Already on it.**

 _I love you._

 **I love you too, honey,** Hisako replied sweetly. A dustpan proceeded to materialize in her hand, and I left her to it.

"S-So, Nee?" Immediately, everyone's attention was on me, and I tried not to gulp. Why, oh why, did my Princess thing have to stick on this ship. "What do you need today?"

"It's not my _need,_ " Leith-nee squeezed me anyways, rubbing her cheek against the top of my head, "it's more like the ship. Wedding's tonight, so we need to get you and your friends all fitted for the ceremony!"

"EH?!"

"Wait," Jack-nii spoke up in shock, "Me too?!"

"Yes, you too, Jack! Your Marine friend's in it too!"

"H-Hey! I didn't agree to this!" Wendy-nee squawked.

"Hm." Leith-nee put her free hand to her chin in a mocking visage of thought. "Does it help that Izō already has everything made and you just need to have it fit? We need to have everyone there for ceremonial sake!"

There was no helping the collective "EH?!" from my group at the table.

Kei and Kakashi were the only ones shaking their heads. "Of course."

From the surrounding chaos, I had no clue who said that so sarcastically. All I could do was sigh, nod my head, and go with it. It was times like this that reminded me that Leith-nee was a dork. Another dork I grew to love.

Yet another day, in the New World, surrounded by people.


	24. Chapter 24: We Are Getting Prepared

_Summary_ : Everyone dresses up and the final guests arrive. The wedding finally marches forward. Tomo switches perches every five scenes. Or something. Somehow.

* * *

We're coming close to the end of this story, folks. Sorry for the absurd wait on this thing.

I hope you've been enjoying this ride. I've been enjoying it too.

The theme that marks this chapter is the piano version of _We Are_ by Animenz Piano Sheets for One Piece. Enjoy. :)

* * *

 _"Mugu…"_

"Princess, I understand this is uncomfortable for you, but please stand still. There's pins and it'd be troubling if one poked you now."

I took a breath and did my best to stop fidgeting. It was hard considering all the ribbons and lace, but this was _Izō-san_ we were talking about, and I didn't want to interrupt his work. He had a sequin in his mouth as he took a bit of the dress hem in his hands, looking it over before pinning it with a small pin from the pincushion sitting on his wrist. If not for him already proving his expertise in the work of fashion in these past few weeks, I would've been more concerned about said sequin in his mouth considering he was wearing lipstick. Still, the bun atop his head didn't even have a hair out of place — a visual testament to his apparent concentration.

"Izō-san, is this really…" I resisted the urge to raise my arm to gesture, instead pressing my fingers together to not jostle the dress. "Is this really okay? This seems complicated and expensive…"

 **And I thought Hikari-san was bad…** Hisako adjusted her glasses while looking through my eyes, and she whistled. **I think I see more frills on** _ **this**_ **than those old Disney Princess dresses! And I'm** _ **including**_ **the cosplay ones kids wore for Halloween!**

… _This is just confirming the "Princess" moniker I'm carrying now, isn't it?_

 **Yeeeeeep!** Hisako just had to pop the last "p" for emphasis. Argh.

"Nonsense, Princess." Izō-san unknowingly agreed, clicking his tongue around the single pin stuck in-between his lips as his hands started making some kind of stitch I couldn't see in the dress. "You are the main bridesmaid of Spoons and Souchou's wedding and the Princess of this ship. Expensive is _more_ than worth you."

 _"M-Muguuuu."_ Why did these pirates love me? I didn't do _anything_ worth this much spoiling. Even then, I took a breath and held back the urge to fidget again. The lace veil decoration sitting in my hair couldn't be disturbed. "Th-Then, Izō-san?"

"Hm?"

"How much did all this cost?"

There was a distinct blowing sound, muffled by a pin, and then something was gently poking the outside bit of my thigh. "Hold still, sweetie. And don't ask."

"…Why?"

"Because you shouldn't have to worry about it."

"When you say that, I'm _more_ tempted to worry about it!"

"And, little Princess," Izō-san shifted patiently, and the poking went away just like that. "I said you don't have to worry about it. Now please raise your arms in a T-shape for me, okay?"

A worried breath left my lips, but I did as he asked. The commotion going on outside didn't help much.

"HEY, LIPSTICK, IS THE PRINCESS READY YET?! THE NINJA ARE—" There was a distinct hiccup, and I held back the urge to wince. Not the time to move, _not the time to move._ Leith-nee was still roaring, _why_ , it was _her_ wedding! "THE NINJA ARE READY!"

The hem of my dress wrinkled, and I didn't have to look down to know the grip was from the aptly named "Lipstick," who was most certainly pissed. "GIVE ME A MINUTE, SPOONS, FOR GODS' SAKE!" Izō-san yelled over his pincushion, his hands not even stalling in their adjustments as he took out a few pins. "DON'T RUSH ART!"

"THE NINJA ARE RUSHING _ME,_ LIPSTICK!"

Izō-san puffed an equally miffed, "THEN _YOU_ DEAL WITH IT! YOU _KIDNAPPED_ THEIR PRINCESS FIRST, SPOONS!"

 **Ooooh, that's a burn. The truth, but,** Hisako's glasses shined over, **still** **a burn.**

Almost as if it was expected, silence followed. Izō-san huffed again, taking out more pins from the dress before gently airing the skirt portion without jostling me. "The things that woman asks for… I could've sworn she's more a foul brute than any proper lady…"

"Um," I squeaked, feeling bad, "I'm sorry about that?"

Izō-san blinked before raising his head to look at me, the frustration evaporating from his eyes. "What are you apologizing for, little Princess? You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, you've been very good following my instructions." A warm smile came over his face. "So many could learn from you."

"O-Oh," but that wasn't what I meant, and the protest was close to surfacing on my tongue. "But, Izō-san, that was out of sympathy—"

"Besides," Izō-san lowered his head again to glance over his work on the lace before slowly standing up, putting his hands on my shoulders to turn me around, "you finally look your part, little Princess. Very cute."

All I could think of in that moment was, _That is not me._

Izō-san was positively beaming over my head. "What do you think of my latest work for you, Princess?"

The many bows hit my vision first once my reflection cleared up in the mirror opposite of me, and I could feel my face start to flood with heat. From the pink of the dress to the blue ribbons accentuating the sides of the puffed skirt, I could've been a Sylveon, but at the same time, not. Maybe "cupcake" would be a better descriptor word. The white sleeves were puffy and reminding me of Mama's usual style, but with the matching lacy white collar and petticoat, I could've been a noble girl. Even then, the blue ribbons crossing my chest seemed to accentuate the "present" aspect, and I had to tilt my head only once for the veil headdress to brush my cheek. It wasn't even a full veil than a hair decoration that accentuated my hair like a crown with the blue ribbon, and with my usual white hair ribbon on my right side, it just completed the image of a girl I didn't feel like I really was.

Even then, I raised my hands to my chest. The girl in the mirror did too. I tried to smile a bit, and the girl in the mirror did too.

The girl in the mirror was far more radiant than I thought I ever could be.

 _Is this… really me?_

Hisako smiled. **Yes. Yes it is, honey,** she murmured lovingly. **Yes it is. You need to give yourself more credit. And thank Izō-san, okay? He made you beautiful.**

The beginnings of what felt like tears started to bubble in my eyes, and I took a breath. The girl in the mirror really _was_ me. "Th-This is amazing, Izō-san. More than I-I think I deserve…"

 **Oh, Tomoko-chan. You modest charge of mine, you. You deserve so much more.**

"Oh, Princess, that's not true." The hands on my shoulders squeezed, and Izō-san's smile turned soft above my head. At least, from what I could see reflected in the mirror. "You made our Souchou smile so much, you made _Spoons_ of all people calm down, and you helped our Captain laugh. You _more_ than deserve this." He poked my cheek teasingly and I held down a sniffle. I couldn't help it. Even then, his eyes softened and he poked my cheek again. "There there, sweetie, don't cry yet. Keep the happy tears back. I still have to hand you over to the bride to check on any makeup. A Princess has to look her part." Izō-san squeezed my shoulders once before turning his head to the door behind him. "Cover your ears now for me, please?"

I blinked the tears back, raised my hands, and covered my ears.

"SPOONS! THE PRINCESS IS DONE! GET OVER HERE!"

"FINALLY, LIPSTICK! _TOOK_ YOU LONG ENOUGH!"

Even through my makeshift ear covers, it was hard to miss the telltale slam of the door hitting the wall as it opened.

 **Oh boy,** Hisako summed up for me. **We're doomed.**

I couldn't agree more once the bride herself made herself apparent in the mirror. Frilly shorts and all. That was the wedding gown?

 _"Chikadeeeeeee!_ Oh my fucking _god,_ you look so prettyyyyyyyy!"

"LANGUAGE, SPOONS!"

Yep. I was doomed.

Hisako crossed her legs in her newest armchair, considering. **Probably are doomed, yep.** With a pause, she then added, **Should I dress up too?**

 _I-I dunno if that's the right_ question, _Hisako!_

My Nobody shrugged. It did not stop her from twirling around a la Magical Girl style to don a sleeveless purple dress. Oh well. At least _someone_ was having fun.

I had to sit still once Leith-nee brought out a _makeup_ brush.

* * *

It wasn't everyday Judai found himself stifling laughter, but then again, it wasn't everyday he found his missions hijacked to attend a _wedding_ of all things. That would be interesting when he and Minato got around to giving the mission report back in Konoha. Still.

Whenever he got home, he would definitely hug Hikari and claim, "Never again. I'm going back to retirement." Right now?

"Judai-jichan, stop smirking. It's creepy."

Kakashi glowering at him was the frosting on top of the cake. Or was that how the saying went?

Oh, whatever. Seeing his kids trying to fiddle with ties was hilarious.

"I can't help it, Kakashi," Judai said as evenly as he could around his snickering, "b-but do you need help with that?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes, adjusting his mask before shaking his head, pulling at his suit collar with a pointer finger. "Don't treat me like a kid. I'm fine." The lopsided knot keeping his suit collar in place though…

Pffft.

"But you _are_ a kid, Kakashi," Judai replied gently, walking over to grab the troublesome tie in question to fix it. If Hikari was here, he knew that she would be throwing a fit over it. So, in his wife's place, he'd have to be the responsible adult. "And as one of the Jounin overlooking this mission, even if I'm retired and temporarily back in business, you're in my care too. It's okay to admit to mistakes and ask for help."

Kakashi scoffed under his breath, but didn't pull away as Judai fiddled with the crooked knot. "I'm already _in_ your care, Judai-jichan."

Judai grinned once the tie was finally in place. "Is that a complaint?"

Kakashi turned his head away at the words, but his ears turned a slight shade of pink. "…No."

Judai kept up the smile as he took his hands back. "Glad to hear it." With a turn of his head, he glanced around. Kei seemed fine, considering she was immensely concentrated on fiddling with the collar of her suit, while Obito — well, Obito was getting handled by his sensei. Minato could handle _that_ , since there was a rivalry between Obito and Kakashi that Judai was not sure about touching. Still. The three kids were handling the suits just fine, so what was left…?

The question popped up in his mind, so Judai decided to ask, raising his voice all the while. "How are you doing, Jack?"

"It's 'Jackie' now, Judai!" was the more _feminine_ call behind the nearest dressing room curtain. "Feeling a bit different now with the wedding!" There was shuffling, and then a follow-up of, "I _have_ to take pictures, darn it! Work with me, dress, _work with me!_ "

Uh. This was new. Kinda. "Whoops," was the only thing he could find himself saying. Judai rubbed the back of his head just as Kakashi huffed through his nose disapprovingly. He couldn't jostle the suit, but the regret was still obvious from how his face felt like it was starting to burn. "Sorry, Jackie!"

There was a little shifting this time, and the curtain was pushed back to reveal the former Marine in a long and shoulderless black dress, the color scheme easily complementing the dark magenta lipstick and curled lashes. Judai couldn't help but wonder why she chose black, but at this point, it was fancy enough for a wedding. Meanwhile Jackie smiled while crossing her arms, shrugging. "At least you didn't mean it." She sighed, looking very tempted to pinch the bridge of her nose before turning her head away. "Some shitty coworkers of mine _have_ made that mistake before and they haven't heard the end of it."

Double whoops. Judai rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry." He meant it.

Jackie shrugged, turning back to him with a glint in her eye. "Hey, no big. Thanks for correcting yourself, though."

"Least I can do." The years of handling the cafe with Hikari gave him that much experience, which was more than could be said for his time as a ninja, but that was spilled milk. No use thinking on it all now. "Ready for the wedding?"

"Am I _ever!"_ Jackie was smiling this time, and Judai couldn't help but share her enthusiasm with how much her eyes were sparkling. "Two of the biggest pirates in the name of all the New World will be getting married today! And with Tomo-chan as their bridesmaid," she proceeded to pull out a large DSLR camera from behind her back, brandishing it with happy flourish, "it will make for amazing pictures! We just can't miss it!"

Where did she get the space to hold that camera? Judai couldn't help but absently wonder.

"It'll be worth it considering we _all_ had to get dressed up," Kakashi grumbled. "The mission report will be difficult."

"Kakashi," Minato admonished from over Obito's head, not even pausing in adjusting his own necktie. "That's rude."

Kakashi snorted, said a dutiful but still dry, "Yes, Sensei," and went quiet after that.

"Hey, hey," Obito finally got to his feet via jumping up from his chair, glancing around frantically. "Where's Tomo-chan?"

Kei, with her slicked back hair and all, which Judai still found miraculous considering _Miyako_ had problems with the thing that Kei called proper hair care, led the way to the only door leading out of the dressing room. She put a hand to the doorknob before swiveling her head to give everyone in the group a wry smile. "She's coming over here in about a second. I think Leith-san is about done with her."

Obito blinked. "Wait, wha—"

 _That was fast. Keep forgetting how good sensors are. A reminder to thank Miyako when we get home for having Kei-kun to begin with._

And before Judai and the others could react, Kei twisted the doorknob and swung the door open.

"May I present to you," the apparently happy Izō announced from the hallway, pushing a familiar pianist forward, "Your princess and our esteemed guest of the Whitebeard Pirates, shinobi-taichi!"

"Take in our Chickadee, sluggers!" Leith was in the most unorthodox wedding dress of some kind, considering her _shorts_ were barely accentuated by a long blue waist veil and a matching blue sleeveless top, but she was pushing Tomoko too, grinning like it was her birthday. "Bask in her cuteness!"

"Bwuh." Obito said faintly.

Jackie then reacted, gasping dramatically before there was a mechanical whirr and a camera flash. Tomoko blinked and flushed a darker red with the motion, her hands clasping each other a lot tighter. "Tomo-chan, you're so _cuteeeeee!"_

Judai sucked in a breath as his heart swelled to twice its size. "Hi, hime," was all he could coo in that moment.

Tomoko was still blushing while raising a hand to nervously wave. "H-Hi, Papa, Team Minato." To Jackie, she said, a bit quieter, "J-Jackie-nee, please turn down the camera flash?"

"Whoops!"

Yep. His daughter was _cute_ and no one would be able to convince him otherwise. With the small ribbon veil in her hair and the many ribbons on her pink and blue dress, it was as if she had walked out of Nagareboshi Cafe's own dressing room, wearing one of Hikari's personal creations from how the pastel colors all matched one another. The small white rose-shaped purse hanging from her shoulder and the pink flats added to the "Princess" look and at this point, Judai was thoroughly convinced of _how_ these pirates (and the one Marine present) all fell in love with his daughter. The amount of respect in the stitches and clothing design said it all.

Who put on the makeup, though? Judai never recalled his hime wearing that light pink _eyeshadow_ of all things. But it fit.

Ah well. She was still cute. Maybe even more than usual thanks to the dress-up.

Shit. More things to thank Leith for _after_ he throttled her. Maybe.

Judai glanced over his shoulder for a second before mentally double-taking at the visible pink showing on both Obito and Kakashi's surprised faces. The thought of the boys seeing his princess in a different light was… well, polarizing to think about, especially since _Obito_ was staring more than he probably should've been.

Hm.

Kei, on the other hand, thank _god,_ was smiling, letting go of the door to offer a hand to his daughter in the meantime. "You look good, Tomo," she praised, "just like how our princess should be."

"K-Kei-chan…!" Tomoko's ears were turning red too, how _cute._ "Don't say that… I-It's just embarrassing…"

"Heh," Kei was still grinning, offering a hand to her in the meantime. If Judai didn't know any better, she could've passed off as a rugged prince about to escort a royal. Then again, with the "Princess" title his daughter was given… "C'mon, Princess Tomo, say something to everyone else now, won't ya?"

Yep. Kei was getting in on the joke too. At this point, Judai didn't know who would collapse first — his daughter, the male ninja her age, or Jackie who was _still_ taking pictures.

Tomoko's mouth took on a shy "o" before thinning out to a small line and she nodded. "O-Okay." She nimbly jumped over the small bump on the floor from the doorway before placing her hand in Kei's open one. The gesture merely resulted in Kei's smile widening as she guided Tomoko to the others. Judai couldn't help but smile in her direction as a form of encouragement while the other ninja finally started to catch on.

"You look very pretty, Tomoko-chan," Minato started first. Polite guy, the ass. Without looking, Minato then nudged his first student. "Don't you think so, Kakashi?"

Tomoko hung onto Kei's hand a bit tighter as Kakashi finally unfroze himself, clearing his throat before nodding. "Good work on the clothes design, Izō-san," he said at first. "And it suits you, Tomoko." He then nodded to himself, crossing his arms. "Hikari-bachan would _kill_ to see this."

"Th-Thankie, but, but I dunno about Mama _killing_ —"

Judai held back a snort.

"Y-Yeah, Tomo-chan, you look amazing!" This time, Judai had to stifle a laugh once Obito jumped up in the air, rustling his previously well-done tie, but at this point, he had every right to do it. "Definitely like a princess!"

"O-Obi, thank you, but not you too…!" Tomoko was looking more and more tempted to duck and hide into Kei's shadow, but the knowing smirk on Kei's face proved she wasn't going to have it. Kei merely had to nudge her _once,_ causing Tomoko to jump, and then the conversation was followed up with a nervous, "C-Could we stop looking and just go to the ceremony!? _Please?!"_

Leith was the first one to burst out laughing. Judai couldn't help but follow in her example. While scooping up his daughter in a carry-hug because why not?

"P-Papaaaaaaaa!" Smaller hands were gripping his hair, tugging in protest. "Heeeeeeeey…"

Judai cooed softly, pressing his lips to his little girl's head. His daughter was so cute. "I love you too, sweetie."

She wouldn't be this light forever.

* * *

"So, Leith-nee?"

"Hm?" Leith was humming, holding back laughter at the bright pink coloring Tomo's round face while walking through the familiar wooden halls of the Whitebeard main ship. Judai merely propping up the little girl in his arms to carry just made her look all the more _cute._ "What is it, Princess?"

Tomoko looked like she was close to pouting if not for the contemplative look on her face, and her voice conveyed as much once she spoke. "We're not the only guests for your wedding, right? Since a full reception would require more than, um," she glances at her ninja friends flanking Judai's sides before looking up and adding a quieter, "my ninja family?"

It's only for a split-second, but Leith does not miss how the kids send each other smiles and smirks of sorts. They knew. Behehehe.

"Well~ Princess, that is a good question!" Leith's tempted to grab the veil off her head to twirl on her index finger, instead reaching over to pinch Tomoko's cheek. She squeals enough to make Leith laugh. So cute. "But yep! You guys aren't the only ones coming!"

"Wait," Jackie blinks, her eyes wide, "we're not?"

"What did you think, Davy?" Leith is tempted to laugh aloud, but the expression on Jackie's face is just so tempting it's hard to hold it in. "There's more to this than the Whitebeard Pirates! We have _family_ coming in!"

"Why am I not surprised," Judai mumbles, his face caught between tired exasperation and fondness. Leith could already guess the fondness was towards the Princess still nestled in his arms and she grinned. "Who is it?"

"Two words!" Leith grinned while raising two fingers. " _Straw Hat!"_

Jackie paled in time with Kei, and Leith blinked. Jackie, Leith got, considering everything in her Marine work. Prooooooobably why Leith would never get around to telling Wendy about the Straw Hat visitors and leaving that to dear old Pops. But Kei? She was still a kid. Why was she paling when she had never met the guys before?

"No," Jackie said flatly, her face darker than anything Leith had seen in a while. _Hah._ The joke could last. "Please god, _no."_

The ship proceeded to shake. Leith didn't mind, merely grinning once everyone else jumped, and the air was punctuated with Obito's loud, "WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"Oooooh, lookie, they're here already!" Without skipping a beat, Leith proceeded to grab Tomo and just _run,_ not even minding Tomo muffling her surprised shriek in her neck. "C'mon, ninja, prove you're faster than me!"

"TOMO-CHAN!" Obito shrieked. Sheesh, how loud was his vocal cords? He could rival a certain dork of a fiance right now…

"GODDAMMIT, LEITH—!" she could faintly hear Judai roar. The tapping of many sandals were fast to follow behind her lead, but Leith pushed on her muscles while concentrating her energy into the balls of her feet and holding up a little Princess still hiding her face in her neck.

"Catch y'all up on deck~!" Leith chirped to the ninja while to Tomo, she added, "Take deep breaths, sweet cheeks! It'll only take a second~! You'll love the new faces!"

"I-I highly doubt thaaaaaaaat… You didn't have to steal meeeeeeeeee…" Tomoko mumbled in Leith's shoulder, her shoulders shaking in her white and pink dress. The veil on her hair seemed close to falling off if not for the one tiny hand hanging onto it with all the strength a little ten year old girl could have. "L-Leith-neeeeeeee! I-I'm gonna hurl!"

Whoops. Without skipping a beat, Leith detached one hand to reach into one of many pockets left in the shorts of her impromptu wedding gown, grabbing one ginger drop out of a lovely stash before offering it to Tomo mid-run. "Open your mouth and eat this, sweet cheeks," she said in a rush, kicking open the door in time with the wrapper undoing itself. With a small, almost inaudible swallow, Tomo did so and by then, the shivering stopped. Leith made sure to stop too once the sun shined in her face and she grinned.

The large skull and crossbones with a straw hat on the sails facing her from afar was hard to miss.

"Miss Leeeeeeeeeeeith! We came to your wedding!" Of course it was the blond lover boy who came out of the ship first. But, wait. Was he crying? In a _white_ suit?

Oh, whatever. Leith grinned back at the lovesick cook, winking. "Sanji! Get your ass over here!"

Tomo inhaled sharply in her neck before looking out. "Sanji…san?"

Hearts flew off Black Leg Sanji almost immediately as he leapt once off the deck of the Thousand Sunny and Leith put the Princess down onto the deck as soon as he reached her. "Black Leg Sanji-san, back in service to you, my Lady!" He carefully reached over to take her hand and press a kiss to the back of it, causing Leith to laugh. Sanji was _still_ trying to be chivalrous, hearts flying off of him and all. Did he even notice there was a kid in the vicinity? "If only Ace didn't take you, I'd have said something—"

Yeaaaah, _nope._ "Hm?" Leith pretended to rub the inside of her ear while obviously showing a shit-eating grin. A little extra Haki in her arm helped reinforce the message. "What was that?"

Sanji paled. "N-Nothing, Miss Leith, nothing at all!"

The sandals behind her finally caught up as Kei was the first one on the scene, blinking owlishly once she reached the Princess. Sure enough, Tomoko was still standing there near Leith's coattails, her hands close to her chest as she gaped. "S-Sanji-san?" she squeaked. "Sanji-san is a pirate like Nee?"

Just like that, time stopped as Leith held in a snicker.

"Tomo," Kei's voice cracked a little, "You know this guy?"

Okay, why was _she_ looking weirded out? Even if Kei was a kid, she was still a bloodthirsty _ninja_ in Leith's book. Why was this shocking?

"K-Kinda, I just thought he was a cook—!"

Sanji turned to stone as he slowly turned his head downwards to meet those large innocent blue eyes in eye contact. "Oh," he said, then slowly rubbed the back of his head, waving gently. "Well. I've been caught." The gentleman mask he was _supposed_ to be was back on. "Hi, ojou-chan. Looks like I found you first?"

Huh. Leith never thought Sanji had it in him to be soft to kids, but then again, this was _Tomo._ Her being in the picture automatically meant the adults had to dial shitty behavior down. Jealousy and all. Innocence did that.

Tomo's eyes gleamed with something as she trotted over to tug curiously at one of Sanji's sleeves. "I-I didn't know you were a pirate, Sanji-san."

Sanji's gaze softened and he got to one knee, a small smile on his face. "There's a surprise for you, ojou-chan," he said, and Leith didn't even feel surprised at how he reached over to adjust the little veil sitting on Tomo's head. "I told you to look for a skull and crossbones with a straw hat when I left you. So." He finished fiddling with the hair decoration before quietly saying, "Are you okay with that?"

"S-Surprised," Tomo stammers, but this time she mustered the courage to reach over and pat his head. "But okay with it." She smiled. "It's Sanji-san."

Sanji inhaled sharply before genuinely smiling back, a fond snort leaving his lips. Leith could already see the affection in his eye without even making out his entire face. Another person was now in Tomo's corner, and all she was doing was being _honest._ "Thank you, ojou-chan," he said softly, and his hand gently brushed some of her hair back. "You definitely look like a Princess now. You're here to celebrate Miss Leith's wedding?"

 _"Nee's_ wedding," Tomo corrected, a happy look in her eyes now. "And you're here to stay too?"

"Of course! There's no way I could miss Miss Leith's wedding!" Sanji stood back up to put a hand to his chest, huffing proudly. "As a man, I had to—"

"ACEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

It did not even take a second for Sanji to sweep up Tomo in his arms and run away from Ground Zero like his pants were on his fire, just as Leith pushed everyone else behind her for the eventual Straw Hat himself to come in. Hell, Leith could've sworn Sanji's boots were _burning_ like his namesake of Black Leg. And sure enough, there was a large outstretched hand that apparently just attached itself to the nearest mast, and along with a distant shout of, "GUM GUM GRAB!", Leith already knew who it was coming in.

"GODDAMMIT, LUFFY!" Sanji yelled at the incoming captain, and the only response was a boisterous laugh once a red jacket came into the distant view.

The arm, as long as it was, quickly shortened back to human-length once two sandaled feet made contact with the ship's deck. A hand kept down that same hat, and once the straw hat stopped rustling in the wind, Leith raised a hand.

"HEY, LUFFY!"

"YO, LEITH! Where's Ace?!" Luffy smiled toothily before rounding on Sanji, barely missing Tomo while screaming, "And Sanji, do we have food?!"

"Ace is still inside being a coward!"

"You're here for a _wedding,_ not for the food, you dingus!" Sanji roared from the sidelines, taking the chance to cover Tomo's ears once she winced. "Seriously, we have a little lady and her folks here, be a bit more nice about it!"

"Eh?" Luffy for once was speechless.

Tomo was blinking from her newest perch in Sanji's arms, her hands on the cook's shoulder. "Um."

Leith was tempted to laugh. Or throw her head back and chuckle. Either or. This was still new. After all, _someone_ made the newest Yonko in the news stop. That said something.

Nearby, Jackie crossed her arms over her chest. "At least Sanji's respectful to _Tomo,_ the jackass."

Once the other Straw Hats started yelling out their usual banter in the midst of lowering a plank to cross over to the Whitebeard ship (something like, "LUFFY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" to the point of Leith wanting to cover her ears), _Dad_ was already on his way out to the deck as Luffy grinned at the frozen Tomo in Sanji's arms. He tipped his hat towards her.

"Hi there! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will be the Pirate King! Remember that!"

Tomo gaped. _"P-P-Pirate King!?"_

Leith did not miss how Kei turned to stone behind her. Huh.

"Pirate King!"

"P-P—" Tomo raised a shaky finger at Luffy. "Pirate King?"

"Pirate King!"

"That's a really big job, though!" Tomo continued in her high-pitched voice. "Won't you get into danger?"

"I'll get really strong and with my crew, we can do it!" Luffy beamed, slapping a hand to his chest just as Sanji put his palm to his head. "Right, Sanji?!"

"Seriously, Luffy, _why_ start with that…?"

"Huh?"

 _"Gurarararara,_ little Princess, come here. Away from these youngsters." The towering figure behind Sanji dispersed every other voice and Leith grinned. Tomo squeaked yet again as someone else picked her up, and this time, Whitebeard's large grin was enough to shush her too. "Now then, since the guests are here…" he raised one fist in the air.

Leith grinned and did the same.

"LET US START THIS WEDDING!"

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_ This took way too long to write. And I can't help but miss Eli and Ali-nee. Internet's been weird since Tumblr had its NSFW ban. I hope this is good enough at least to catch both of your attention spans.

Eli, Ali-nee? I love you both a lot. Hope we talk again soon.


	25. Chapter 25: Strawberry Ballad

_Summary:_ The wedding ceremony commences, and a pianist performs what could be her final song in honor of two of her honorary siblings tying the knot. There is one more day before the eventual goodbye.

* * *

Here we go. The wedding. I'm gonna pull out as many stops as I can to do this.

The themes go as follows: (1) Joe Hisashi's _Kaze no Torimichi,_ or _The Path of the Wind_ from _My Neighbor Totoro_ , which is _actually_ played in-story; and (2) Aki Misato's _Shoujo Meiro de Tsukamaete (Mellow Berry Ballad),_ the ending song from my first Shoujo Ai series of _Strawberry Panic._ As flawed as _Strawberry Panic_ is, it's still a series that made a small place in my heart and I wanted to honor it for this chapter. Heck, it's what gave this chapter its title because the song is cute and it fits.

Please enjoy.

And, one last thing.

As of this chapter's publishing (2/17/2020), it is one day before Abalisk's birthday. Happy early birthday, Ali-nee. I hope you enjoy this too.

* * *

"So, Spoons—"

"Get to it, Thatch, or I will _murder_ you."

"Yes, yes, thank you for _not_ cursing in front of the Princess, my newest death threat aside." Thatch deadpanned, black book still in hand as Nee got up in his face with her bouquet. Welp. She still looked menacing with the veil and frilly bridal shorts. Or something. "Can I go on?"

"Please, Thatch," Captain Whitebeard added his five cents patiently, having decided to take one of the front seats near the stage set up in the apparent ballroom. Because somehow the Whitebeards had everything from a music room to a ballroom a la the Titanic's in terms of luxury. Or just another cruise ship that _wouldn't_ sink. "Go ahead."

Thatch cleared his throat as I did my best to linger behind Ace-nii with my small basket of flowers (courtesy of Jackie-nee pulling it out from somewhere), trying not to bounce on the soles of my flats. Bridesmaids had to be "prim and proper," or at least that's how the stories said they'd be.

"Portgas D. Ace. Our First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Do you take Spoons—"

 _"Thatch."_

Ace-nii held back a chuckle as Leith-nee swiveled her head to glare at him.

"Excuse me, _Leith's_ hand," Thatch hastily corrected with an overtly serious voice, contrasting the teasing smile on his lips as he adjusted his tie, "in marriage as your wife, now and forevermore?"

There was a large sniffle. It took a moment for me to realize _who_ it came from and I glanced up to see Ace-nii's shoulders shake through his wedding tuxedo. "I do." He turned to Leith-nee, wiping at his eyes with his sleeves before grinning. "Leith, I'm… ugh, I'm still _shitty_ at words."

 **Uh,** Hisako said.

 _"Ahem,"_ Thatch said suddenly, clearing his throat.

Ace-nii adequately paused before glancing at me to mouth a quick apology of, _"Sorry, sweetheart. Didn't mean that."_

Ah. The "no cursing" thing.

I could already hear someone whispering about whether to cover my ears in the crowd, so I shook my head and smiled anyways, gesturing with my basket back towards Nee. "Don't worry about me, Ace-nii," I said softly back. "It's your day. Go make it."

Leith-nee looked almost expectant with that smirk of hers as soon as Ace-nii nodded at me. "Thank you, Princess," he replied back, and that was it.

It did not take long for him to recompose himself, returning that very same smirk with a crooked smile. "Leith, we've gone through hell. I know you've _been_ through hell, and there's been a lot of times where I've worried that you wouldn't get out. But I'd like to make sure that you stay out of the dark. I'll use whatever flames I have to light your way back, and keep you with me. I promise I won't leave your side for a single second, frustrations and nightmares and all." His smile widened to a grin. "I love you."

Every single pirate in the room "aww"ed in delight. There was even a loud "WOO!" from a certain Straw Hat in the back corner over loud munching on a piece of chicken. Or something.

My smile simply grew.

 **They're lucky,** Hisako said softly. **They really are lucky.**

My thoughts went back to all the ninja in the room too. _Aren't we lucky too?_

Hisako didn't say anything, merely choosing to mentally press a small kiss to the top of my head.

Leith-nee's smirk dropped off her face as her eyes widened. The words must've hit harder than a train if the visible _blush_ on her face through all the foundation and makeup was any indication. She then sniffled, holding her bouquet of sunflowers tighter to her chest as she nodded.

Sunflowers. The same kind as the one Ace-nii used to make the engagement ring. And with the many yellow blossoms sitting in my basket, well. It was fitting.

Thatch smiled. "Well then. Leith, do you vow to take our First Division Commander's hand in marriage? To take Ace as your husband, now and forevermore?"

Nee sniffed, holding back what sounded like snot before beaming. "Of fucking _course_ I do." She raised a hand from her flowers before Thatch could even protest the curse word, giving me a glance before adding, "I meant that. Whether in bed—"

"OI!" Jackie-nee yelped from the stands. "LANGUAGE!"

"BRAT, DON'T START WITH THAT! _GURARARA!"_

Uh.

Nearby, I could see Papa considerably wiggle his hand behind his suit jacket on the stage and so, I decided to pretend to go deaf for a moment.

Thankfully, it didn't take long because Nee decided to backtrack. "Fineeeeee." Kinda. "Or in a battle, I know you'll have my back. It took a long time to admit this, but you've been a cheesy ass that I just can't get enough of. You gave me a family, you gave me a way out, and you gave me a _home."_ Leith-nee laughed, and this time there was a hitch in her voice. "I can't help but feel safe with you. So, with all my fuck-ups, I hope you'll keep being with me to the end." Another laugh. "I love you too."

Ace-nii stiffened and I found it the right time to gently tug at his suit. He looked at me, I offered him a flower, and I smiled.

"You deserve this," I said, and I didn't have to look up to see Thatch smile too. "Take it."

Ace-nii nodded and took my offering.

I held back a giggle once he nearly dropped the flower from the realization of _what_ was in his hand.

What? It was a nice idea on Whitebeard-san's part to hide the wedding rings in my basket!

"Well then," Thatch said, an audible crack in his statement this time too, "with the vows said, you may exchange the rings."

Thatch then swiveled his head to meet my eyes, and a giggle left my lips. Trotting over to Nee's side was child's play, _literally_ considering I was still a child physically, and she took the sunflower off my hands to expose the simple gold band hidden in the petals.

I stepped back just as Nee stepped forward, and Ace-nii took her hands in his. He gently slid his gold band onto Leith-nee's ring finger in unison with Leith-nee doing the same to him. It seemed almost… sacred to be watching it up close because this was it.

This was the moment where two separate people truly created a union with each other, to support each other, for as long as they wanted.

Vy's world saw a lot of divorces happen because people just don't mesh well sometimes. Or people had differences pop up after the vows were said, and it felt so simple to go to a court and declare it all null and void.

But there was something about watching a marriage live rather than on an old cassette tape that made all those bad thoughts, those bad ideas, go away.

I allowed myself a small glance behind me and found myself catching the eyes of Team Minato.

Kakashi blinked softly at me, Obito grinned, and Kei merely smiled.

They approved. Yay!

I smiled back at them and turned back to the happy couple, pulling the stalks of some flowers into my free hand.

"And now, with the rights invested in me, you may kiss." Thatch pretended to wipe a tear from his eye as Ace-nii held Leith-nee's hands tightly. "Anyone who wishes to voice their objections may do so now."

There were a few mutterings, but nothing else.

"That settles it." Leith-nee and Ace-nii were still staring at each other, so Thatch simply stepped to the side as I took a step back to toss the flowers in my hand around them like a good flower girl would. "I hereby pronounce you two husband and wife." He paused, considering, then added coarsely, "Go ahead and smooch, you fools."

Said as a true pirate would.

It was as if a limit had been broken. Leith-nee immediately tossed away the veil on her head, opting to let it fall to the ground unceremoniously in time to pull Ace-nii in by the hand. The resulting smooch was something out of a romance movie in reverse, more so with Nee actually _swinging_ Ace-nii's full weight around in a carry-hug by herself before dipping in, so I couldn't help but politely look away while still tossing flowers. Everyone else could cheer loudly as much as they wanted.

Before you say anything, hey. I could still opt to be a kid. And this way, no one would have to cover my eyes!

Oh, everyone else?

There was a lot of shouting, but I could hear a few select voices.

"Leith-chwaaaaaaaan! May you—" there was a snort somewhere, "—find happiness from now onnnnnnn!"

"Why are you crying, Sanji?" Munching. "The food's good!"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT, LUFFY!"

Jackie-nee's cheering was obvious, of course. Wendy-nee was near her too, being awkward, but her being buff and strong helped get them along. At least, I think so. "Congrats, Leith!"

And there were a lot of camera flashes.

"Congratulations, Leith-san, Ace-san! But before the day ends, may I see your—" From the corner of my eye, I could see someone with bright orange hair _kick_ what looked like an afro-wearing skeleton. I decided not to dwell on that for the sake of my own sanity.

Yet, strangely enough, once I looked back at my family, I found myself making eye contact with some of Team Minato again. Kakashi was looking close to being either awkward or constipated, Kei was doing her best to keep up a polite smile, and… huh?

Hisako paused, having noticed too. **What is it?**

I blinked. _Did Obito always look like that?_

Because from what I could tell from my vantage point at the podium, Obito was looking at _me_ with a dark blush on his face. It was obvious through his stare that he wasn't fully there- _there,_ so I inclined my head at him.

 _"Are you okay?"_ I mouthed.

He startled once it became obvious I was returning his gaze and he nodded. _"D-Don't worry, I'm fine!"_ he put on a grin like it was an everyday thing. _"Go be you, Tomo-chan!"_

Um. Well then. _"If you're nervous, I'll save a dance for you,"_ I continued, smiling. _"Just wait for me, please?"_

Obito started. _"S-Sure!"_ His grin turned clumsy, just like Ace-nii's from a few minutes ago. _"It's a promise!"_

I smiled and turned my head back to the happy couple once there was the _smack_ that said the kiss had ended. Leith was grinning and Ace-nii had steam coming off him like a bubbling teapot, and the flower bouquet was still in her hand.

"Toss it! Toss it!" The nearby pirates started to rally with fist pumps, and I blinked. Toss what?

 **Wait for it,** Hisako warned, teasing grin on her face as she pushed her hair back.

 _Wait for what?_

 **Just** _ **wait,**_ **honey.**

Almost immediately, Ace-nii pushed Leith-nee forward and her sunflower bouquet was still in her hands. "Whoever gets the flowers gets hitched next!" Nee crowed, and then she swung her arm in a circle like a baseball player. I could see petals flying off her hand with the motion and if I didn't know any better, it sounded like the flowers were close to choking with how tightly she was holding them.

It was a split-second moment. Nee let the flowers _go,_ they proceeded to _fly_ through the air and I could see everyone in the stands scramble with their hands raised. Oh.

So that was it.

"Luffy!" A man with a long nose and puffy black hair was shaking the still snacking Straw Hat. "Use your Gum Gum powers to catch that!"

 _Munch munch._ "Huh? What was that, Usopp?"

"ARGH! STILL SO BLIND!"

My eyes followed the falling sunflower petals as the bouquet soared, and soared, and _soared._ It seemed like everyone was reaching out for it to try catching it. And then—

 **Oooooh!** Hisako said loudly, sparkles in her eyes.

… _Huh?_

Obito yelped as soon as the flowers landed neatly into _his_ arms. He fumbled with the blooms for a solid minute, much to Kakashi's visible exasperation nearby, but he held the bouquet against his chest, breathing deeply.

I wasn't expecting Obito to look up at _me._ A crooked smile covered his cheeks and his eyes softened. It was almost like his black irises were reflecting the entire _galaxy_ with how deep they were.

What was he trying to say?

There was a small snicker. **What happens when someone catches the bride's bouquet, dear?** Hisako dropped with a tap of my shoulder.

 _Don't tell me—_

"WELL THEN!" Captain Whitebeard announced loudly, making me jump. "A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE PREDICTED GROOM!"

 _Wait. What?_

"Obi?" I said dully, barely audible in the face of all the sudden cheering coming up in the crowd. My ninja friend was immediately swarmed by pirates and my family alike, Papa laughing from what I could hear in the background. Along with Kei looking close to falling over from her own laughter and Kakashi being vaguely uncomfortable, it made for… something.

Obito was getting lots of shoulder pats and side hugs from people all over, but it didn't change the fact that we had something earlier. The eye contact, the sunflowers—

He was still giving me a side-eye glance the entire time the stands were swarming him.

 _Lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub._

Huh?

 _My heart's pounding?_ I put a hand to my chest through the ribbons on my dress. _This can't be… right?_

 _"GURARARA!_ NOW THEN! WITH THE HAPPY COUPLE WEDDED," Whitebeard-san yelled out with a large _mug_ suddenly in hand, "LET THE PARTY BEGIN!"

"YEAH! PARTY!" The pirates yelled in near unison, and I gulped.

A hand was suddenly on my shoulder and I looked up to see Papa, his trusty cello bow in his other hand. "C'mon, hime," he said softly, an encouraging smile on his face. "It's our turn now."

I pushed down my embarrassment to smile. "Aye, Papa."

* * *

Sitting down on the piano bench felt right for once. From the wedding ceremony to seeing the flowers land in _Obito's_ arms of all places, I needed to get this anxiety out.

It was _just_ Obito. One of my best friends in the whole wide world, and my heart was _still_ beating hard at the thought of him holding those sunflowers.

What was going _on_ with me?

Obito couldn't have been thinking of _me_ to marry, was he? Wouldn't he look for Rin in that case?

 _Or… Was he?_

"Hime?"

Papa's whisper was barely audible over the murmurings and shouts in the background from everyone having fun, but I could still hear him from our shared distance on the stage. I turned to him and his uncertain expression transformed into a loving smile. "Hey," he whispered over the noise, and in that moment, all I could do was focus on him. "You're with me, hime, back on the stage. We're about to play one of your songs together for the wedding cake cutting. Can you do that?"

I nodded, releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding. "I can, Papa." I took another breath, allowing myself a glance to the side before considering. Ace-nii and Leith-nee were already holding the ceremonial cake knife over the pretty impressive red velvet and white chocolate layered cake, looking at me for a start. I couldn't keep them waiting for too long. "Laugh off the fear and the bad things, right?"

Papa beamed, swishing his cello bow through the air.

 **That's a yes.**

I turned back to the familiar black and white keys and exhaled. I wasn't exactly a child in mind anymore, despite my physical appearance. There were probably a lot of things I needed to talk to everyone about once we got home to Konoha. But right now, right here, I had a job to do.

I couldn't ruin a happy moment, and it was time to enjoy it for what it was. Two of my honorary siblings were essentially coming together on the best day of their lives. I had to be the best I could be for them.

 **Let the forest live again, right?**

 _Aye._ One more breath. I could do this. I was probably the only one that could. No one but Kei and I remembered, after all. And Kei was the ninja. I was…

 **Smile on the stage to the very end, in front of your own score, and you create your own beautiful lie.**

 _Aye._

Hisako simply smiled.

 _I'm not Kaori, I'm not any kind of professional performer, but this is all I have…_

 _Wish me luck, Totoro-san. Please bring these people happiness today._

I closed my eyes and played the keys. The memories were faded, a bit worn out compared to those Vy remembered of _Spirited Away,_ but the emotions were the same. The messages were the same.

 _Treasure these times for what they are._

 _Nothing's truly difficult when you have loving people by your side._

 _It may be hard to wait, but everything will turn out alright._

Papa's cello was like a security blanket, the soft strings calming my heart. The noise in the background seemed almost invisible, not even consisting of an _interruption_ as I continued playing the chords of the famous Forest Spirit.

The images flew by in my mind's eye — Satsuki and Mei, playing with a spirit that could have been a teddy bear. Mei trying to deliver that ear of corn to her mother in the hopes of her getting better. Totoro doing what he could to make the girls feel welcome and happy in a forest that would have otherwise been scary.

Maybe my situation could be likened to that of those two girls, finding comfort in places that otherwise would have been scary. From being with the pirates that Nee called family to working amongst the pirates' worst enemies in the Marines with helping Jackie-nee and Wendy-nee — it was all a blur. I was following others' paces, but they let me and I was safe, all things considered.

They were all here, they seemed happy, and that was enough. My family had come back, and this time, the song felt like it was one last hurrah before I could see my forests again at home.

The song ended far too quickly before I knew it, and by the time the last key faded, I opened my eyes and found myself breathless. Papa was smiling from where he was sitting with his cello, clearly proud as he brushed a stray hair back. "Good job, hime," he whispered.

"Aye," I said quietly back, and just then it occurred to me that the background noise had stopped. Instead, there seemed to be an echoing of what sounded like an _accordion_ in the air and the next thing I knew, _something_ was gently pushing at me from behind to stand up from the piano bench. I tried not to yelp and looked behind me just to catch what looked like white flower petals fading into sparkles.

 **Those weren't sunflower petals. So then where…?**

I blinked and tugged at the hairband sitting around my wrist.

All of a sudden, a hand was suddenly coming _out_ of the piano bench seat with the same accompanying white petals and it took a moment to not yelp in surprise. The hand seemed to consider my reaction, twitching for a single moment before reaching out towards me. I was not expecting it to gently tug at my wrist with an almost ghostly-kind of touch.

"Um," I stumbled, trying not to resist as it grasped the top of my hair band with its fingers. "Did you want this?"

 **Honey, why are you talking to a** _ **hand—**_

"Yes, little Princess, give me a moment," said someone new right behind me and this time, there was no holding back the surprised yelp as the hand proceeded to retrieve the hair band for itself. The hand then did not take long to raise itself palm-up towards the someone in question, offering the hairband to them like some kind of trophy. I didn't have a chance to look behind me to see who it was, but it sounded like a woman as something soft brushed my hair. "How cute. But your veil is crooked again, little Princess. Let this young woman fix it for you."

There was rustling behind me as fingers were tugging at my hair, the touch merely confirming that they were real _physical_ fingers. My veil was jostled too, tugged at ever so slightly to put it back into position, so I stayed as still as I could. The white petals from before were gone, but knowing the rules of this world when it came to physical abilities and the like, I didn't want to make a scene.

"I can definitely see how Sanji-kun found himself adoring you, little Princess," was the kind musing above my head and the tugging certainly felt like something safe, so I stayed quiet out of politeness. "To capture the hearts of so many from the Whitebeard Pirates with honesty and emotion, you certainly are something." A warm laugh echoed above my head as soon as she let go of what felt like a _braid_ tying back some of my hair in a circle. I turned around just to see long black hair and dark blue eyes. The smile on her face seemed teasing, merely accentuated by the diamond earrings and her flowing flowery skirt. "Definitely a Princess."

"Th-thank you, but who _are_ you, Miss?" I stammered, blush coming up to my face.

The woman blinked those dark blue eyes before taking on a softer smile. "Call me Robin, little Princess," she said, bending down to my height and reaching over to brush a stray strand of hair back behind my ear. "I'm a friend of Sanji's and Davy's, you see." She smiled again, gently poking my forehead before putting a hand around my shoulders. "But don't worry about me. You have a friend of your own waiting."

 _Eh?_

Once she gripped my shoulders and promptly _spun_ me around, I used the heels of my flats to balance myself as soon as the front of a suit came into view. In spite of my balancing act, though, I still found myself falling towards said suit with a yelp. "W-Wah!"

"Have fun, little Princess!" Robin called.

"H-Hey!" A familiar voice went above my head as soon as my face was buried into their dress shirt. "Tomo-chan, I know you promised me a dance, but this isn't what I meant!"

Wait. _Wait._

I looked up and found myself blushing. "I-I'm sorry, Obi!"

Obito laughed nervously, clearly not up for the spectacle either considering _pirates_ were starting to "aww" and jeer behind us. Still, it was definitely Obito as his arms kept me upright and steady on my feet, his own posture pretty solid all things considered. "It's fine. Hi, Tomo-chan. Are you—" he then coughed, tugging at the collar of his suit for a moment before putting me back on my own two feet, taking a step back to bow his head. "Are you willing to have this dance with me, my lady?"

He offered his arm to me slowly, almost like that of a gentleman and I blinked at it. "Are…" my heart was suddenly in my throat, not helped by nearby camera flashes and Leith-nee's obvious smirk in my direction past the wedding cake slice she was eating with Ace-nii. "A-Are you willing to have me, good sir?"

The best way to get past this, or so Kei seemed to hint at when we were at home, was making a joke to go with the flow. Or that's how it was supposed to go.

It did not stop Hisako from busting her gut from laughter. **Hahahahaha!**

Obito raised his head to make eye-contact, his black eyes wide before a smile stretched his cheeks. "Always."

Heat flooded my cheeks, my heart starting its pounding all over again in my chest. When did he start to look _radiant?_ Uh…

"A-Aye aye, then," I squeaked, and that was basically it. I did promise him earlier. There was nothing I could do _but_ put my hand on his arm, and Obito beamed as soon as we started walking together off the steps of the stage and onto the dance floor. The accordion went on and on in its almost ballad-like serenade, and once Obito took my other hand in his, I blinked. "Wh-When did you learn how to dance, Obi?"

He grinned, adjusting his other arm so that it could encircle my waist. Was he actually setting up for a waltz? "Let's just say I had a lot of time in-between missions, Tomo-chan." The grip from his other hand was tight on my fingers as he shrugged. "Kei wasn't kidding when she said we _all_ missed you."

Oh. Of course.

Hisako put her five cents in with a quieter, **Six to seven months** _ **is**_ **a long time, dear. At least it wasn't a year or more.**

 _Yeah._

I still leaned in and rested my head against his shoulder. Even through the suit, I could smell the usual woody scent that was my Uchiha friend. I shouldn't have left. "I missed you too, Obi," I confessed, feeling warm, happy and _cared for._ "I missed you too."

There was a small noise above my head, something like a gurgle before there was a jerky nod against the top of my head. "M-Milady, we still need to dance." I lifted my head and found myself looking into dark black eyes as Obito smiled. "We promised, didn't we?"

"Yes," I said over a small hitch in my voice, "Yes, we did. I'll just have to ask you to avoid my second left foot, good sir."

Obito laughed softly. "I'm the _ninja,_ Tomo-chan. I can handle any kind of feet."

"Aye."

He then _tugged_ at my hand and I could do nothing but follow him along. The loud and obnoxious "aww"s in the crowd didn't even matter anymore. Right now, it felt like it was just us on the dance floor, enjoying the lights and the atmosphere while twirling.

I could've fooled myself into thinking it was just Kei and Kakashi watching from the punch table while the rest of the world could disappear for Nagareboshi Cafe. It felt _that_ warm. Cozy enough to be home.

It did not stop Jackie-nee from snapping a picture, breaking the moment. And judging by the nearby rough-housing from the married couple, though…

"Oi, you lovebirds, leave the PDA for the bedroom!"

 _"Shush_ you, this is _my_ wedding, so put a sock on it!"

"Brat! _Gurararara,_ keep it to a minimum in front of the children!"

The hand on my waist paused as Obito sighed. "And here I thought _we_ were bad hijacking a ship to get here. Kei was _glaring_ the entire time." Obito shook his head enough to jostle some of his well-combed back bangs while keeping up the dance. "I could've sworn she looked like _Kakashi._ That's saying something."

Well then. "You still found me," I pointed out to him while smiling. "And this is a nice way to pass the time, isn't it?"

Obito turned back to return my stare, apparently not noticing the red tips of his own ears as he smiled back. "It is nice," he agreed, stepping back just enough to let me twirl around on my flats. "Missions can go _without_ kidnapping, though."

"Ehehehe…" Whoops. "I'll try not to get taken up by others' paces?"

Obito rolled his eyes but pulled me into a hug anyways, and that was the end of the conversation.

* * *

"This is painful to watch," said Kakashi, snorting through his nose. "Why doesn't he _say_ anything?"

Kei considered, glancing over the goofball couple on the dance floor before agreeing halfway. "At least you're not the one who caught the bouquet?"

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"I would've preferred to catch it," Minato-sensei cut in, a teasing smile on his lips. "Kushina might've liked the sunflowers."

"Good for you, Sensei, good for you," Kei said finally. "We'll celebrate once we get Tomo back _home."_

"That sounds like a good idea."

Kakashi snorted again, turning his head away and promptly grabbing a cup of punch.

Weddings could be a spectacle.

* * *

 _*curtsies and slowly leaves, preparing the ideas for the next chapter*_


	26. Chapter 26: Like the Wind

_Summary:_ It is the final day. A pianist tries to follow her family's lead in leaving without a word out of guilt and mixed feelings. For better or for worse, the pirates and her Marine caretakers aren't keen on letting her resemble a lost butterfly.

* * *

It's been hard to keep up this story. But we're at a place where I can look at it and think, "There's a place to stop." The plain sadness I get when looking at this work as an incomplete one has been hard to ignore.

Wendy's creator has been off-on on Tumblr for a while. I haven't talked to Eli, Davy's creator, in what feels like months from some kind of ghosting. I don't want to pressure either of them into anything. Abalisk thankfully is a text away, and she agreed with my sentiment in ending things here.

So I think it's about time I lay my pen down for this story.

The last theme songs I'll be recommending you include: (1) both the music box version and the original song of _Tiny Light_ from _Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun;_ (2) the track titled _After You Wake Up_ from _No Game No Life's_ soundtrack; (3) Zacky The Pianist's cover of _First Love,_ originally by Utada Hikaru; and (4) the orchestra version of _Sagitta Luminis_ from _Puella Magi Madoka Magica._

Have to bring some of my favorites to the end of the story. But don't let me be a sap forever. Please enjoy the finale. :)

* * *

Everyone was snoring. Whether they were passed out drunk or just in their own beds, the pirate ship was quiet. A large contrast from the day before, but that apparently was the norm when alcohol was brought into the picture. Also, partying. It took all I had to not stare after them once someone was gently tapping my shoulder.

"Tomoko." Kakashi's voice was soft but stern. "We have to get going."

I felt myself nod, but the weight in my chest made my throat feel dry. Kakashi followed my gaze, and I knew by then he had noticed my looking at Thatch and Izō-san. They were slumped against one another while leaning against the wall. Since they were loudly snoring _and_ barely covered by the only blanket in the hallway we were in, I couldn't help but kneel down and grab the cloth in my hands. Tucking them in didn't take much effort and, to be honest, it felt wrong leaving without doing something for them.

"You're going to miss them," Kakashi said quietly. One of his hands was on his kunai pouch, and I didn't miss how he immediately retracted the limb so that it didn't look threatening. "Aren't you?"

Once Thatch let out a sleepy noise akin to a snore with the blanket covering his chin, I turned back to my housemate and smiled wryly. "Aye," I whispered. "Aye."

It was all I could really say when we were essentially leaving this world like the wind. There wasn't even a chance to say goodbyes. My family couldn't wait forever, and judging by the conflicted look in Kakashi's eyes, he wasn't all that keen on the process either. But he was still a shinobi on a mission and I was the charge that needed rescuing. I couldn't stop them.

These days, I was starting to feel like I never could stop them.

Kakashi turned his head away once it became obvious I was staring in his direction. His dominant hand was on his hip now, and even in the darkness that was early morning, I could see the furrow of his eyebrows. "…When we get home, I'll make dinner," he said.

I blinked while slowly standing up. "Repeat that?"

"When we get home," Kakashi grit out, his masked nose turned up towards the ceiling, "I'll make dinner."

The tension left my shoulders a little. I smiled. "I'll help."

Kakashi turned to me to give me the stink eye. "You overwork yourself," he deadpanned half-heartedly. "Just let me do it."

I tried not to roll my eyes. "Fineeeee. You'll have to ask Mama first when we do get back, though."

"When we get back," he echoed. He still turned his back on me so that he could face the ending of the hallway. "Let's go."

I allowed myself one last glance towards Izō-san and Thatch, whispering, "Thank you," before running after him.

* * *

The chalk in Minato-san's hands almost looked like a weapon with how quickly he was drawing the fuinjutsu seals against the ship's wooden planks that made up the deck. I would've expected him to use blood considering the usual ninja thing, but then again, we didn't want to make too much of a scene.

It didn't stop me from shivering at the cold wind.

An arm gently draped itself over my shoulders and I looked up to see Papa's gaze. His brown eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, but it didn't diminish the warmth in them as he stared down at me. "You could stick closer to me, hime," he chided, an equally warm lit in his voice. "We'll be going soon."

"I-I know, Papa, I know…" I still leaned against him, feeling the slightest bit guilty. Closing my eyes felt like I could block out the eventuality that I'd be leaving as fast as I came. At least this time it wasn't by black hole. But—

Hisako sighed loudly, breaking up my train of thought. **You feel guilty.**

It took all I had to not tense up and alert everyone else in the vicinity with my far-too-expressive chakra. _How did you know?_

 **Honey. I'm your Nobody. Of** _ **course**_ **I would know first. I** _ **live**_ **in your head.** I tried not to wince at the subtle burn, but Hisako still pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a huff. **Even after all these shenanigans, you still love Davy and Leith and don't want to leave them.**

I bit my lip and shook my head once Kei was glancing in my direction. This was an internal talk, and as much as I loved Kei, admitting that I didn't want to leave yet felt like admitting there was a chance I would be better off here and not back home. These ninja worked their asses off to just _find me_ — going home empty-handed would be a giant slap in the face, especially when the past seven months weighed harder on _them_ than me.

Still…

 _It's hard_ not _to feel bad when I'm not even saying anything to them after all this time, Hisako,_ I confessed inwardly. _They took care of me, and yet we're going without saying anything._

Hisako smiled wryly, the gesture accentuating the dimples in her cheeks in a rather ironic manner. **You really are too nice for your own good,** she chided, but she still pulled me into a hug. **But I don't think this will be the last we'll see of them.**

 _What do you mean?_

Hisako kissed the top of my hair and went silent afterwards, pointedly avoiding the answer to my question.

At the same time, Minato-san made one last fuinjutsu stroke with his piece of chalk against the ship deck before standing up and brushing himself off. "This should be sufficient," he murmured, breaking the chalk with a clenching of a fist, and with that said and done, everyone stood to attention. It was hard to miss how Papa too was tense, and I leaned into him a little more. "Everyone, link hands."

I barely reached out for the nearest person in the area aside from Papa, that person being Obito, before _that_ voice graced my ears.

"Were you all really going to leave without saying goodbye?"

Obito froze, his jaw dropping just as I felt my blood turn cold. With all my restraint, I slowly turned around to catch a glimpse of messy brown hair hidden under a familiar white-blue Marine cap, and _Nii_ smiled.

It was Jack-nii. _My_ Nii. Today was supposed to be a he-day.

"Really, Tomo-chan," Nii said softly. "Like I'd let you go with your family without a word."

Something seized up in me and it took a moment for me to realize that I was close to crying. His smile turned all the more sad as he strode over, and I belatedly realized Papa let me go, pushing Obito along with him, before Nii was kneeling to my height, his gaze reflecting no one but me. His brown eyes looked watery. "Hey, you," he murmured, and I felt a small hiccup leave my lips. "You don't have to cry."

"I-I'm trying _not_ to," I insisted after a moment, raising my hand to wipe at my eyes and doing my best to hold back a sob. How did he _find_ me? Just, how? "Nii…"

 _I don't want to leave you alone,_ was on the tip of my tongue, but the barely-hidden sobs in my throat made it hard to voice. The rest of my family being here made it hard to voice anything.

Sometimes, I hated being this emotional.

"Oh, baby, I'm going to miss you too," he said shakily, and I didn't fight him once he reached over and pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you so, _so_ much."

Why did he have to put it like _that?_

Behind me, I could faintly hear someone calling my name, but through the massive wave of _tears,_ all I could really do was grip Nii's jacket and hang on for as long as I could.

 _I don't want to leave you behind._

This world wasn't that great. As much as I helped, what would happen when I was gone? Where would my absence leave Nii? Where would that leave Nee, when _she_ was the pirate on the run?

Someone else was joining in on the hug too, and it took a second for me to realize _Nee_ was here too. "Don't worry about us, Tomo," Leith-nee said softly above my head, a chin bonking the top of my hair. "We're the adults. We can handle life. Besides," a breathy chuckle echoed above me. "I was able to find you time and time again. Who says we can't meet somewhere else in another time?" Her arms were muscular and strong as she tightened the hug. "This is a 'see you later,' not a goodbye, Tomo. Don't cry over it."

Even with those words in mind, I still had doubts. Wiggling a bit to look into Nii's eyes merely confirmed that he was _resigned_ to letting me go, and, and—

Hisako raised one hand towards me. **Wait, honey—**

I let go of the hug, turning around to face my family and blurted out, "P-Papa, could we take Nii with us?!"

"…What?" Minato-san said faintly, and I realized way too late that every single ninja in the area was giving me funny faces. Obito specifically was discretely wiping what looked to be like tears out of his goggles as Kei's eyebrows furrowed against her head. Kakashi himself didn't look all that happy, but the look in his eyes screamed sympathy and hurt.

"I-I mean," my voice was losing its strength. "The Marines aren't the greatest to be employed with, and, and, Jack-nii and Wendy-nee deal with a lot in their daily lives as is just trying to chase Leith-nee and other pirates in a never-ending war, so…" My breath caught in my throat just as I could faintly make out through my blurry vision Wendy-nee and Whitebeard-san running into the scene. "I-If we could help, a-again…"

"Oh, Tomo," Nii said softly, and in that moment, Papa came into view again, kneeling to my height, and Papa—

Papa was shaking his head.

 _No…_

Hisako's expression looked all the more pitiful when I glanced in her direction.

"Hime, I understand this hurts you, and I'm sorry that you are feeling this way, but please, _please_ hear me out." Papa gently laid a finger against my lips, silencing any thoughts I had in mind while smiling wryly. He was shaking his head again. "It would be great to have Jack with us, not to mention Wendy, but I'm sure they both have a family too. They have things to do here. And we can't interfere with another world's order. We can't take them away from their loved ones because we selfishly want them with us." Papa's expression might as well have put a knife into any hope I had in calming my heart down. He lowered his arm almost mournfully as he said, "I'm sorry, hime."

 _Nonononono… no…_

The tears were welling up in my eyes again. I did my best to nod, but still found myself turning my head towards Nii.

Nii — Nii was tearing up too. Leith-nee was uncharacteristically solemn, standing back just as Wendy-nee was _there_ in the background with Whitebeard-san to watch, some waking up pirates carrying large hankies to snort into, and, and…

Why was no one saying anything?

A wind blew past all of us and without meaning to, the first sob left the reins of my self-control and bluntly entered the air of the entire ship.

Someone gasped, and I could faintly hear Kei say, "Tomo," but the tears were _still_ coming. Kei wouldn't be able to help this time. I knew she wouldn't be able to when she had already outlined her side of things. So, I did my best to shut my eyes and try to inhale as much air as I could, covering my face with my hands and stepping away from anyone close by.

I couldn't cry. I just couldn't.

I was going home. I was finally going back to the café, to see Mama, Miyako-bachan, Hayate, everyone still waiting at home. I should've been happy that I was leaving a chaotic place such as the New World behind. I was supposed to go along with this impromptu goodbye without complaints. I was supposed to leave without regrets.

But it had to come down to me and my heart. My heart was such a traitor.

Regrets kept gathering like moths to a flame.

 _I don't want to leave him. I don't want to leave anyone else when it's possible they could die, even here._

 _I don't want to say goodbye._

 _I don't want this to be the last time._

"I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" The whimpers were leaving me before I could think about them, the tears trickling down my face and starting to seep through my fingers as I shook my head. "I-I know we were supposed to go, th-that we have to go home, but, but—"

The sobs were clearly audible now. God fucking dammit. I was such a coward. I couldn't even say it when the moment counted.

 _I don't want to leave them alone!_

 _I don't want them to die!_

All it took was one shuddering breath. Then hands larger than mine were gently prying my fingers away from my cheeks, forcing me to keep my eyes closed as my fingers were squeezed. "Tomo-chan? Baby sister, please look at me."

Nii's voice. _Nonononono,_ no. _Don't call my name like this. Don't—_

A sob left my lips. "No, Nii. N-No."

"Baby, _please,"_ Nii's voice begged while squeezing my fingers. Nii _never_ begged. "Please open your eyes and look at me. _Please."_

Another sob left my lips, but as much as I wanted to hide, it was Nii. I couldn't resist him forever. So all I could do was open my eyes, as watery and itchy as they felt, to look into his brown eyes.

Nii — Nii was crying too. Snot was trailing down from one of his nostrils, but he sniffed it away, a shaky smile on his face. "There we go. There's those blue eyes I fell in love with," he murmured softly, and I felt myself shiver. A thumb was rubbing the back of one of my hands. "Tomo, I would do anything for you. Kill for you, care for you. But I can't leave Wendy. I can't leave my family. And considering how your own family wanted to sneak away with you, you know that too, right?"

My bottom lip was quivering before I could think about that either. "N-Nii…" My vision was blurring even more, to the point where I could barely make out the blue bandana tied around his neck. Everything felt hot, felt _wrong._ "Nii… I'm sorry. I'm _sorry—"_

Hisako merely sighed.

 _How did we come to this?_

"Oh, Tomo-chan," Nii said, a teary laugh following my nickname as he let go of one of my hands, reaching over to cup my right cheek. If he minded the tears and all the wetness that came with them, he didn't seem to be up for voicing it, that same shaky smile on his lips. "Don't make that face. You were the greatest ward a Marine like me could have. That Wendy and I both could have." He sniffled — _Nii was sniffling._

 _Nii was crying._

A lump formed in my throat as the reality set in.

"I wanted you to see so much more. Meet my mom, my siblings, my step-dad. For you to have a properly decorated room back at the Marine base." Nii wiped at my eyes, tugging at my cheeks in a half-hearted attempt to make a smile while ignoring his own tears. "You deserved so much and _I'm_ sorry I couldn't do more with you. Tomo. My huggable, sweet baby sister."

Something in me snapped.

 _ **NO!**_

I didn't know if it was Hisako's urging or my own unconscious desire. But I still did it.

I held back the newest sob to reach up and tug at my hair ribbon. The knot came apart almost instantaneously from the force I applied, and it took what remaining energy I had to shove the white ribbon into Nii's personal space bubble.

My arms were shaking, my fingers felt wet from all the tear-wiping, but the ribbon was there in my palms and my hair felt bare.

The first ribbon I wore, and the ribbon I came with when falling into Nii's office.

It deserved to be with someone else now.

"…Tomo?" Nii choked out softly. Mr. Hat was still sitting on top of his head and giving me a "?!" sign on its front bill.

"D-Don't apologize, Nii." I was hiccuping, but at this point, I didn't know if I could even give a damn about that now. "D-Don't _ever_ apologize. You, Wendy-nee, everyone here — you _made_ the New World feel something close to home. Don't — Don't apologize for lack of time when being here with you made up for some of the greatest t-time I _had."_ If there was a time to choke on sentimentalities, it would probably be right now. "J-Just," my arms were still shaking as I reached over to grab some of Nii's brown hair. "T-Take my ribbon at least. As a good luck charm, souvenir, any of that k-k-kind of silly thingie."

The bow was sloppy, barely even sticking together thanks to all the fumbling my fingers were doing, but once it was in place, tying down a messy strand of Nii's hair, Nii was staring at me with stars in his eyes as I sniffled.

"I-I love you, Nii," I confessed. "P-Please keep that for when we see each other again and don't die. I-I want to see you and everyone else again, in another place. Just, if anything, know that I'll always love you."

 _I don't want us to meet up when we're all dead,_ I thought. _Not even when we're too old to even remember each other. I want to meet you like this, at least one more time._ It all went unsaid.

Still, it was such a strange way to go about a goodbye. But once Nii was tearing up anew and straight up pulling me into his arms, I squeezed him as hard as I could, clutching his clothes and trying not to soak his Marine jacket with more snot and emotions. For all I knew, this would be the last time I'd hug him.

He smelled of a mix: laundry detergent, the slightest hint of alcohol, and minty shampoo.

But it was still my Davy Jack-nii; still as warm as ever in our last hug.

"I-I love you too, Tomo-chan," he sniveled above my head, a hand on my head to start threading through my hair. "I-I'll _always_ love you too. Be safe going home, okay?"

"A-Aye," I sobbed. "Aye…!"

Pulling away felt like a waste. Like pulling out the plug on a ventilator connecting us. But Nii let me go, pushing my forehead with one shaky pointer finger as I stumbled backwards. "Go on, Tomo-chan. Go brighten up your family's worlds again."

Amidst now loud, pirate-y protests of, "DON'T GO!" I nodded my head. Looking towards the others elicited similar nods, with Whitebeard-san in particular giving off almost grandfatherly pride as I stepped back and found my shoulders coming into contact with friendly hands. _Familiar_ hands.

Kei sighed softly above my head, but I didn't have to look up at her face to know she was smiling. "You dork, Tomo," she mused. "Let us know when you need your emotional valve on, really." Her hand still squeezed my shoulders, and I leaned into her while shutting my eyes for a small moment.

Another hand was landing atop my head, and I could already tell by the sleeve and calluses that it was my housemate. "Let's go, Tomoko," Kakashi said softly. "Let's go home."

I nodded to them both, the fuinjutsu circle I coincidentally stepped in starting to glow as I did, and before everything turned white, I looked back once.

Nii smiled once we made eye contact, waving his hand the entire time the fuinjutsu did its thing. The white ribbon on his person almost didn't fit if not for the white that came with the Marine uniform. On the other hand, Wendy-nee was openly crying but doing the same waving thing, contrasting Leith-nee and Whitebeard-san who barely shed anything the entire time. In the background, I could've sworn I saw Ace-nii with Thatch, Izō-san, and all the other pirates, either jumping up in the air or openly bawling at our departure while wrapped in comforter blankets, but it all made for a scene that I knew I wouldn't forget.

With the last fuinjutsu light and the rising of the sun, I put on my best smile and waved my hand.

"I love you all!" I screamed.

One flash was all it took for everything to disappear.

* * *

One displacement later, and my stomach rumbled uncomfortably. Before I could cover my mouth, Kei was tightly gripping my shoulders for support as Obito suddenly came into view, fumbling with a candy wrapper. "Hold still, Tomo-chan," he said, and I didn't have any energy in me to protest Kakashi reaching over to suddenly grip my chin, opening my mouth wide enough for Obito to throw candy in.

Wait. Candy? This wasn't candy…

Hisako scoffed under her breath. **Ninja are frightening.**

I rolled the thing around on my tongue once Kakashi pushed my chin upwards to close my mouth, tasting ginger amongst all the salt before feeling my muscles relax.

Obito gave me a near-identical candy to the ginger drops that Leith-nee carried.

"Hiraishin was a success," I could vaguely hear from Minato-san behind me. I couldn't make out Papa's voice after that, registering only, "We're back," because my legs decided _just then_ to give in to all the emotional stress.

Kei let out a soft " _Oof,"_ once I nearly collapsed against her. Thankfully, Obito didn't miss out on the trust fall like he did two years before, this time grasping my waist so that he could work with Kei in tandem to lower me to the ground.

Tile. Another fuinjutsu circle of some kind. Lines of red instead of white chalk underneath my dress.

I felt myself give out a shaky breath of carbon dioxide, barely going around the ginger candy on my tongue.

The scent of the forest and old wood.

This really _was_ Konoha.

Obito's smile was shaky, almost teary like Nii's before him, but there was a sense of triumph and joy in his _uncovered_ black eyes this time. His goggles were actually pushed upwards for once, covering his hitai-ite and thus not concealing the bittersweet happiness I could see in his stare. "W-We're home, Tomo-chan," he said. "We're home. A-And now that we are, we're gonna need to get you another ribbon."

I could barely move once he reached over to take the now freed strand of hair into his hand, a wry smile of my own faintly forming in return. Oh, Obi. Even after all this time, he was trying to be considerate of me. How was I blessed with so many wonderful people?

"A-Aye," I said instead. "Aye. We're home, Obi."

Kei gave me a tight side-hug. "Yep," she muttered above my head. "You did good, Tomo."

I shivered, leaning against her. "I-I hope so."

Kei let out a laugh. "Don't question it."

"O-Okay." But… wait. Wait.

 _Wait._ If Obito was in front of me, and Kei behind me, where did Kakashi go?

My question was then answered once I heard footsteps and a door slam open.

"TOMOKO-CHAN!"

My mind vaguely thought, _Mama,_ before Obito ducked out of view and I was being lifted from the ground, a warmer, _drier_ shoulder becoming my newest pillow. Mama smelled of flowers as she hugged me tightly to her chest, wet droplets starting to fall into my hair. "Oh, Tomoko-chan. Oh _kami,_ Tomoko-chan… my baby." Mama was sniffling. Just like Nii, like Wendy-nee before her. Her usual long ponytail wasn't even high up on her head, drooping behind her neck as she hugged me. "You're alive. You're _alive._ Oh, my baby girl." A hand was carding through my hair, not even caring about the lack of ribbon holding a part of it together as the hug became tighter.

There wouldn't be enough water to go around to help treat all the tears at this rate.

Still, Mama's tears had to be addressed sometime. Kakashi must've brought her here, and judging by the loud yells and shuffling nearby, it was obvious the rest of the extended family — Gekkō, Hatake, and all — had come too.

Holding back yet another urge to start crying, I weakly reached up to wrap my arms, as thin as they were, around Mama's neck. My Mama.

She wasn't as muscular as Leith-nee or Wendy-nee, but she was still _Mama._ My Mama.

"Hi, Mama," I said faintly. "I missed you too."

Papa's arms were encircling my back just as Mama pulled back from squeezing me like a rag doll, bumping foreheads with me. "You silly daughter of mine," she smiled through unshed tears, her cheeks red. "Where have you been all this time?"

I turned to Papa, and in spite of his own small tears dotting the edges of his brown eyes, Papa shrugged with a smile. His hitai-ite wasn't even glaring against his forehead and two-toned brown hair as he met my gaze. "Go ahead, hime."

"Judai," Mama said slowly, bouncing me once.

"Hey. It's our daughter's story, not mine, Hikari," Papa responded just as easily, and his arms went past me to hug Mama too, and with both of their chins on my head, well… "It's up to her on how much to tell."

 **But one thing's clear. We're back,** Hisako said softly. **Jack and everyone else might be sad, and I know you'll regret it, dear, but—**

 _I'm where I should be, huh?_

Hisako grinned proudly.

In the real world, I just hung onto Mama by putting my hands on her shoulders, smiling wryly. "I met a lot of kind sailors and pirates, Mama. It… It was a lot of fun."

Inwardly, I knew I wouldn't tell Mama about the given-away hair ribbon. Papa would probably tell her, and to be honest?

I wanted to keep it as a "family" secret.

And maybe. Just maybe.

Maybe Nii and Mr. Hat could see that white ribbon as a sign of protection.

Kushina-nee did use her red hair as a red string of fate connecting her to Minato-san. What stopped me from believing in my white ribbon as something similar?

Platonic and familial bonds were just as important too.

And once Mama and Papa were hugging me again, with Miyako-bachan, Wataru-jichan, and so many others piling onto us afterwards, we made a good huddle.

There was nothing quite like traveling like the wind to come home.

* * *

 _Note:_ I will leave it up to you, the reader, as to whether Tomo and Davy meet again. I'll just say as the author, it's very likely. :)

Here's to the end of a story, and as of this chapter's publishing, the end of my undergraduate career. Still have things to do, but you'll see me around.

Until the next update with another story.


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